ABSTRACT
The data base provides a common reliable source of data made viable by its involvement with day-to-day operations—available not only to serve those operations but also as a source for management information to draw on. An important ingredient of successful processing is the positive identification of the things to be processed and their status. The identification usually takes one of three forms: first it can be a precise description in plain English; second it may be an alpha/numerical code containing logic which acts as a form of description; or thirdly a unique alpha/numerical code containing no descriptive or logical aspects but bearing a reference which leads to this description. A perplexing problem arose when examining the difficulty of controlling the inventory of spare parts in a manufacturing organization that had undergone a number of mergers. The mergers brought manufacturers of like products together and out of the commonality of their activity it was possible to bring about a substantial rationalization.
