An event based database for the support of a holistic reliability assessment tool

The REMM (reliability enhancement methodology and modelling) programme is about improving the prediction of equipment reliability by using a holistic technique, which draws on expert knowledge, backed up by data collected throughout the entire product lifecycle. In order to support such a system the REMM database programme will extract data from the company´s records and store it in a database. This database will consist of a number of tables that will include information about the products manufactured by the company, the manufacturing processes used and more importantly a series of tables that will contain a list of the events that have occurred for each piece of equipment. An event is any action performed on equipment or any happening that may effect or contain information pertaining to the reliability of the said equipment. An event is therefore a field failure, a performance test failure, or indeed a test pass, or a passage of the system through a particular manufacturing process. It is by considering the event histories of equipment that a number of useful reliability conclusions may be drawn. This paper describes the format of these databases, as designed for the aerospace partners within the REMM programme. It also describes how the system was implemented within one of the REMM partners. It was found that in many cases the REMM schema had to be altered to fit in with the data sources that exist within the company. Difficulties were also found in dealing with legacy systems and with support issues. The REMM database has now been created within the company and it is working well, despite the difficulties that arose whilst implementing it.