Technical data management system

A Technical Data Management System (TDMS) is essentially a Document management system (DMS) pertaining to the management of technical and engineering drawings and documents. Often the data are contained in 'records' of various forms, such as on paper, microfilms or digital media. Hence technical data management is also concerned with record management involving purely technical or techno-commercial or techno-legal information or data. Proper Technical Document Management Systems are essential for the smooth and trouble-free management of large organisations with large scale projects involving engineering. For example, TDMS is a vital function for the successful management of Integrated Steel Plants (ISP), Automobile factories, Aero-space facilities, Infrastructure companies, City Corporations, Research Organisations, etc. In such organisations, Technical Archives or Technical Documentation Centres are created as central facilities for effective management of technical data and records.

A simplified example of information flow within a Technical Data Management System

TDMS functions are conceptually similar to that of conventional archive functions, except that the archived material in this case are essentially engineering drawings, survey maps, technical specifications, plant and equipment data sheets, feasibility reports, project reports, operation and maintenance manuals, standards, etc.

Document registration, indexing, repository management, reprography, etc. are part of TDMS. Various computer software systems are now available in this field. Various kinds of sophisticated reprography equipment, such as document scanners, microfilming and digitization camera units, wide format printers, digital plotters, etc. are available now which make the TDMS functions concerned with reprography much easier than a few decades ago.

In some countries, such as in the US, record and document management are considered very vital functions, and much stress is given in the management of Technical Archives. Records and documents coming under the public domain are governed by appropriate laws. However, this has not been so in many underdeveloped and developing nations. For example, India enacted the ' Public Records Act' in 1993. However, many in the country are not aware of the existence of such a law or its importance.

Crucial Constituents of a Technical Data Management System

Technical data refers to both scientific and technical information recorded and presented in any form or manner (excluding financial and management information). A Technical Data Management System is created within an organisation for archiving and sharing information such as technical specifications, datasheets and drawings. Similar to other types of data management system, a Technical Data Management System consists of the 4 crucial constituents mentioned below.

Data planning

Data plans (long-term or short-term) are constructed as the first essential step of a proper and complete TDMS. It is created to ultimately help with the 3 other constituents, Data Acquisition, Data Management and Data sharing. A proper data plan should not exceed 2 pages and should address the following basics:

• Types of data (samples, experiment results, reports, drawings, etc) and Metadata (Data that summarizes and describes other data. In this case, it refers to details such as sample sizes, experiment conditions and procedures, dates of reports, explanations of drawings, etc)
• Means of researches and collections of data (field works, experiments in production lines, etc)
• Costs of researches
• Policies for access, sharing (re-use within the organisation and re-distribution to the public)
• Proposals for archiving data and maintaining access to it

Data Acquisition

Raw Data is collected from Primary Sites of the organisations through the use of modern Technologies. Please reference the table below for examples.

Organisations	Raw Data	Primary Sites	Technologies
Steel Plants, Automobile factories	Feasibility reports, Equipment datasheets, etc	Test rigs and Controls	Transiting softwares to digitize data and Input softwares for recording report results and details on datasheets
Aero-space facilities	Engineering drawings, Operation manuals, maintenance logs, etc	Engineering labs	Scanners for drawings, Input softwares for maintenance logs
City Corporations	Survey maps, Population reports, etc	City to be mapped, City that involves the researches	Digital cameras for survey maps, Input softwares for statistics of population

The data collected is then transferred to Technical Data Centres for Data Management.

Data Management

After Data Acquisition, data is sorted out, whilst useful data is archived, unwanted data is disposed. When managing and archiving data, the features below of the data are considered.

• Names, labels, values and descriptions for variables and records. (In the case of TDMS, one example is equipments on an equipment datasheet)
• Derived data from the original data, with code, algorithm or command file used to create them. (In the case of TDMS, one example is an expectation report derived from the analysis of an equipment datasheet)
• Metadata associates with the data being archived

Data Sharing

Archived and managed data are accessible to rightful entities. A proper and complete TDMS should share data to a suitable extent and security, in order to achieve optimal usage of data within the organisation. It aims for easy access when reused by other researchers and hence enhancing other research processes. Data is often referred in other tests and technical specifications, where new analysis is generated, managed and archived again. As a result, data is flowing within the organisation under efficient management through the use of TDMS.

Advantages and disadvantages of usage of Technical Data Management Systems

There are strengths and weakness when using Technical Data Management Systems (TDMS) to archive data. Some of the advantages and disadvantages are listed below.