An expert system for computer generation of cable, conduit and tray schedules for industrial power and control systems

Project Design Systems (PDS) are the wave of the future in the engineering and construction industry. PDS use powerful relational database programs to allow the data from a single entry point to be the source information for several forms of data output. The high costs of relational database software, network hardware and development of the expert system programing which links the system together, limits those who can take advantage of PDS. For those who desire the increased productivity and higher quality control of a single entry point system, but do not require the full functionality of a complete PDS package, this paper discusses the development of a system, based on common dBase commands, which automatically generates electrical cable, conduit and tray schedules from information within an existing electrical load list database