传统上，工程师和设计师在图纸上创建产品定义信息（PDI）。在20世纪60年代和70年代，计算机被大量用于处理字母数字产品结构和过程信息。后来，在20世纪80年代，他们保存了产品的几何信息。这导致计算机系统在异构计算机和操作系统上的不同数据库（图形和字母数字）上维护PDI。这种环境导致PDI不一致，各个部门的访问延迟。产品定义信息系统（PDIS）必须重新设计，以便它能够利用计算机和通信技术的进步，提供更有价值的信息，而不仅仅是数据。数据库中的PDI应可访问并可转移到各种计算机系统，同时保持其完整性。

Traditionally, engineers and designers created product definition information (PDI) on drawings. During the 1960s and 1970s, computers were heavily used in processing alphanumeric product structure and process information. Later, in the 1980s, they kept geometry information of the product. This led to the computer systems maintaining PDI on different databases (graphics and alphanumeric) on the heterogeneous computers and operating systems. This environment caused inconsistent PDI and delayed access for various departments. The product definition information system (PDIS) must be redesigned so that it can take advantage of advances in computer and communication technologies to provide more valuable information, not just data. PDI within the databases should be accessible and transferable to various computer systems while maintaining their integrity.