KADBASE: interfacing expert systems with databases

KADBASE, a knowledge-aided database management system prototype, is a flexible interface in which multiple databases and knowledge-aided database systems can communicate as independent, self-descriptive components within a loosely coupled distributed engineering computer system. The authors describe the final architecture of their working prototype, demonstrate its use in engineering applications, and provide examples from two civil engineering knowledge-based systems: SPEX, a structural component design system, and HICOST, a building-cost estimator.>