Integration of data models for process design - first steps and experiences

In recent years numerous approaches have been presented to support the acti vities in chemical process design by means of software tools, but significa nt improvements of the design process can only be achieved if it is support ed in its entirety. Therefore, the integration of the existing software too ls is of prime importance. All these tools are based on data models that ca pture the information handled during the design process. In this study, a c onceptual data model is presented that has been designed for the integratio n of existing data models as a first step towards the integration of the so ftware tools using these models. This conceptual lifecycle process model CL iP is based on the ideas of general systems theory. This universal approach renders the model very flexible and guarantees a well-defined structure fo r data model integration. Some integration mechanisms are presented and dis cussed. Finally, a conceptual model is proposed based on the architecture t ool integration. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.