Effective data management is critical when dealing with information in any business process workflow. A BIM model management platform is designed to ensure that there is data integrity and continuity with intelligence built in. A system based on a relational database is more suited to this than one simply based on files – especially when bringing in data from multiple model sources and locations, as is the case on a construction project. If effective data management is the key to a smooth project workflow, then a relational database is the foundation of this process.
Bimplus was built from the ground up not as an information viewer, but as a database first. The importance of this cannot be stressed enough, and the advantages of a database over a file-based system are clear. Databases reduce data redundancy. They host information once – the single source of truth - the ideal that we often refer to. In contrast, copying information to multiple files allows for errors to occur, especially when changes happen frequently. In this respect, databases offer improved data integrity. Data security is another big advantage of database systems. A great deal of work has been done to create layers around the data to ensure it can only be accessed by those authorized to do so. This is not always the case with file-based systems; it is quite easy to intercept, decompose, or corrupt the data written within.
In Bimplus we always build a rich data model with interdependencies no matter where the source of that model is or what information is related to it. Whether an object comes from IFC, Allplan, Sketchup, LandXML, or any other 3rd party application, it goes through a process to neutralize the data into a format that fits the purpose of content and data management.
Editor's Note: Scranton Gillette Communications and the SGC Infrastructure Group are not liable for the accuracy, efficacy and validity of the claims made in this piece. The views expressed in this content do not reflect the position of the Roads & Bridges' Editorial Team.
