The design and implementation of partnet

PartNet is a federated database for providing interactive online access to mechanical parts catalogs. The data contained in the vendor's product database is exported to the federated database using a networkbased distributed database protocol. A Single coherent view of these vendor databases is provided by a Query Server which clients access to pose queries and receive answers. The client interface programs are simple and can be executed on current desktop computers. The system is scaleable to thousands of vendors and tens of thousands of customers. We feel this approach provides better service at less cost than traditional paper or CD ROM catalogs.