With most engineering projects, this is a common question raised by the engineering team and the customer (the organization, individual or entity requesting a product or service). The term DATA MANAGEMENT is used to globally define the processes which allow the ease in storage, retrievability and maintenance of information. Information, or data, could be the parts required to manufacture an aircraft wing or personnel files of a Human Resources department. There is almost always a need for data management in any organization. Data management can be a manual or automated process and can enhance administrative, financial and planning processes in areas of engineering and business.
When there are large amounts of data that are required to be presented in numerous ways, an automated data management system is preferred. There are key components common to all automated data management systems. These include:
- Information
- Hardware
- Software
