Model data management: towards a common solution for PDM/SCM systems

Abstract

Software Configuration Management and Product Data Management systems have been developed independently, but recently the need to integrate them to support multidisciplinary development environments has been recognised. Due to the difference in maturity levels of these disciplines, integration efforts have had limited success in the past. This paper examines how the move towards model-based development in software engineering is bringing the discipline closer to hardware development, permitting a tighter integration of their data management systems. An architecture for a Model Data Management system that supports model-based development is presented. The system aims to generically handle the models produced by the different tools during the development of software-intensive, yet multidisciplinary, products. The proposed architecture builds on existing technologies from the mature discipline of mechanical engineering, while borrowing new ideas from the software domain.