ABSTRACT
An example of a complex manufacturing database is the bill of materials (BOM). Ÿe BOM is essential for manufacturing management. Ÿe BOM is the information chain pathways for assembling the components of a certain product, which de¨nes the ¨ne details of ful¨lling customer orders and design speci¨cations that involve the functions of sourcing, manufacturing, and maintenance. Deploying the right products that meet changing customer needs is a key for the ¨rm’s competitiveness. Ÿus, it is critical for ¨rms to manage demand chain through the use of a well-designed product database that facilitates e†ective information ®ows about changing customer needs (de Treville et al., 2004; Walters, 2008). A successful ful¨llment of complex customer requirements at the right time requires the design and use of an integrative database. Ÿe real challenge is how to integrate manufacturing-related BOM with management-oriented databases.
