Materials Data Management - Practical Issues

Practical Issues

Materials data management practictioners usually emphasize the need for a holistic approach. It is of limited use having a superb means to capture test data if that data disappears into a ‘black hole’ database that no-one accesses. Materials property analysis is a wasted investment if the results generated are not deployed effectively to the engineers who need to use them.

One way to itemize such issues is to examine each stage in the full materials data lifecycle. The MDMC sees this process as having four stages: capture, analyze, deploy, and maintain. Key issues at each stage are:

CAPTURE
  • Information systems must handle the peculiarities of materials data
  • Organizations need a single, consistent source for all of their materials information - both in-house data and external references
  • It must be quick and easy to import and export data from and to common sources such as laboratory testing equipment and databases
  • The pedigree of data must be preserved during capture so that it is possible to trace the source of data and to explore its full context
 ANALYZE
  • Materials scientists require a range of specialist statistical analysis tools
  • Access to these tools should be simple and integrated with tools to access and manage the data on which they operate
  • Capturing and storing the detail of analyses alongside the information that they generate is important in helping to preserve corporate knowledge
DEPLOY
  • Different user types must be provided with easy access to the information that they need within their standard workflows
  • Materials authorities must be able to control the quality of the data used
  • Security is essential - data must be available only to those authorized to use it
  • Any system must be scalable and robust across the enterprise (whether for tens or thousands of users)
 MAINTAIN
  • It must be easy to maintain information, including through automatic updates as data changes
  • The system must be adaptable to changing user needs and information technology standards
  • Resources and skills must be available to support on-going development

These issues need to be addressed through a combination of good practice, robust processes, and appropriate information systems. MDMC members use a particular commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software solution. Whether an engineering enterprise applies such a solution or builds an in-house system, it needs to account for the issues above and to integrate into its wider product lifecycle management (PLM) systems.

Read more about this topic:  Materials Data Management

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