FAULTS: an equipment maintenance and repair system using a relational database

The authors present a new scheme, the Berkeley FAULT system, for managing information concerning equipment maintenance and repair activities. The solution to the problems is designed with four goals in mind. First, the system must help facility management keep track of equipment maintenance events as they occur. Secondly, the system should help maintenance technicians conduct offline equipment maintenance by reviewing previous maintenance cases. Thirdly, the system must be usable and maintainable by equipment operators, maintenance technicians, and facility managers without need of assistance from expert programmers. Fourthly, the system should cooperate with automated diagnostic systems by maintaining failure histories of equipment in the facility and by providing a mechanism that allows a diagnostic system to schedule necessary maintenance tasks automatically