Databases are widely used in the construction industry by firms for a variety of reasons. The basic definition of a database is a collection of relevant information that is organised and easily manageable and accessible. For a construction firm, this can take several forms such as collections of work done on previous projects, spreadsheets of specifications and vendors, information on subcontractors, and information on upcoming projects in the future. The main reasons for maintaining these databases and using up space to retain so much information is for firms to keep track of specific information on what is most important to them. A typical firm can be working on as many as 50 projects at a time between all of its designers, engineers and architects. This large inflow of work could mean that the best results are achieved when engineers remain productive. Databases are one important aspect that can support their productivity. By maintaining useful project information, it can be referred to at any time saving the engineers valuable time and money.
Databases are not just useful for productivity. As more databases are being stored on the internet, the data is made accessible to several groups of people including project contractors and subcontractors who can come together to gain mutual benefit from the shared information. This can help minimize collaboration errors and further save materials and money spent on fixing coordination mistakes.
In general, databases have been an integral data-management resource for any firm consisting of multiple employees. Old-school databases like record keeping notebooks move and change slowly but are still relevant for new construction firms. A new employee or intern can refer to the employee database to contact the appropriate person in the office from whom to get advice or answers to questions. Doing so can help the new person develop their professional soft skills while forging connections. In this way, project specific databases and firm specific databases are different but serve similar purposes.
Advances in technology have enabled better configuration and retention of databases that immensely support projects within the scope of a construction firm. With BIM becoming a way to store product information and specs of equipment used in a building setting, it functions as a long-term database that the owners, engineers, and contractors (including everyone in between) can refer to as long as the building stands.
Sources: Hodgson, Lance, et al. “Construction Database: Here's the Databases You Need to Care About.” Sitemate, 26 June 2019, sitemate.com/us/resources/articles/construction/construction-database/. Retrieved: February 10, 2020 (link)
Comments:
Reece's post: (Link to post)
Reece,
I agree with all your points. I had also commented in my post that databases provide "an efficient way to communicate and transfer information" which is really important in the setting of construction firm. Not only does it enable the sharing of ideas across to different people, it also helps to save time by having all the necessary info on hand when needed. I feel that when using programs like Revit it is easy to forget that we're constantly benefiting from its structured database, when it is that capability that makes it such a valuable tool.
Jake's post: (Link to post)
Jake,
You brought up some really interesting and thought-provoking points. Although the beginning of any design/construction process has always been sitting down at the drawing board to generate ideas, the evolution of BIM and its database capabilities have revolutionized that process. Although we still begin at the same principle, we now have the option to make a thorough virtual model with every tiny detail input in it - thereby creating the whole building first virtually, and only then proceeding to physically build it. When weighed against the safety and efficiency guaranteed by the model, the hours spent making the virtual building are worth it.
Brian's post: (Link to post)
Brian,
You have very concisely explained what SQL means and how it is used. Although databases are often seen as a valuable resource, it can definitely become difficult to navigate some really huge ones that have a lot of information on them. So, I see why it is important to streamline the process of referring to them and using SQL to essentially speak to the database to extract only the information that is needed.
Databases are not just useful for productivity. As more databases are being stored on the internet, the data is made accessible to several groups of people including project contractors and subcontractors who can come together to gain mutual benefit from the shared information. This can help minimize collaboration errors and further save materials and money spent on fixing coordination mistakes.
In general, databases have been an integral data-management resource for any firm consisting of multiple employees. Old-school databases like record keeping notebooks move and change slowly but are still relevant for new construction firms. A new employee or intern can refer to the employee database to contact the appropriate person in the office from whom to get advice or answers to questions. Doing so can help the new person develop their professional soft skills while forging connections. In this way, project specific databases and firm specific databases are different but serve similar purposes.
Advances in technology have enabled better configuration and retention of databases that immensely support projects within the scope of a construction firm. With BIM becoming a way to store product information and specs of equipment used in a building setting, it functions as a long-term database that the owners, engineers, and contractors (including everyone in between) can refer to as long as the building stands.
Sources: Hodgson, Lance, et al. “Construction Database: Here's the Databases You Need to Care About.” Sitemate, 26 June 2019, sitemate.com/us/resources/articles/construction/construction-database/. Retrieved: February 10, 2020 (link)
Comments:
Reece's post: (Link to post)
Reece,
I agree with all your points. I had also commented in my post that databases provide "an efficient way to communicate and transfer information" which is really important in the setting of construction firm. Not only does it enable the sharing of ideas across to different people, it also helps to save time by having all the necessary info on hand when needed. I feel that when using programs like Revit it is easy to forget that we're constantly benefiting from its structured database, when it is that capability that makes it such a valuable tool.
Jake's post: (Link to post)
Jake,
You brought up some really interesting and thought-provoking points. Although the beginning of any design/construction process has always been sitting down at the drawing board to generate ideas, the evolution of BIM and its database capabilities have revolutionized that process. Although we still begin at the same principle, we now have the option to make a thorough virtual model with every tiny detail input in it - thereby creating the whole building first virtually, and only then proceeding to physically build it. When weighed against the safety and efficiency guaranteed by the model, the hours spent making the virtual building are worth it.
Brian's post: (Link to post)
Brian,
You have very concisely explained what SQL means and how it is used. Although databases are often seen as a valuable resource, it can definitely become difficult to navigate some really huge ones that have a lot of information on them. So, I see why it is important to streamline the process of referring to them and using SQL to essentially speak to the database to extract only the information that is needed.
3 comments:
Varsha,
You did a good job highlighting not only the importance of databases in the construction industry, but also for AEC productivity in general. Information is power is this industry, and I agree that although hard copy record-keeping is still popular amongst contractors efficiency could be greatly improved with a more digital approach.
Varsha,
I really like your point about record keeping. I had mainly been thinking about creating more accurate representations of anything with more data attributed to a design, but record-keeping is also a huge benefit. Poor documentation keeping track of work for future employees or even yourself to follow is tough. During one f my projects for COOP I was asked to write a log in Microsoft word and there were so many moving parts and information available that it was hard to make sure everything was covered. With a database recording, this type of information for you and processing it to make sense will make a permanent revision history for people to look back on.
Varsha,
Last co-op I worked for a General Contractor who mainly relied on those “old-school” record keeping techniques (I liked to call it “death by spreadsheet”). We had decades of information about contractors, owners, past projects, estimating tools, and others, but no truly efficient way to share that information among coworkers or new hires. This siloed many of the people into a certain job responsibility (ex. MEP estimates, casino jobs, $25mil+ jobs, etc) and made the operation very inefficient. I would like to be one of the advocates for company-wide databases of information of all kinds that can be used as a valuable training tool for employees. I agree wholeheartedly with when you talked about mutual benefits from shared information and hope to see more of that moving forward in my career.
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