Database connection tools refer to programs that can be used to transfer the alphanumeric information from digital building models into traditional databases. Similarly, data maintained or supplemented here can be transferred back into the models; this is referred to as bidirectional data transfer or a bidirectional database connection. This can be particularly useful for more complex objects with many properties (such as doors or windows)—for example, according to the BIM Office Administration Standard, door lists are maintained directly from databases.
The figure provides a schematic illustration of how the database and the digital building model interact:
There are a wide variety of database integration tools that enable bidirectional data transfer between any database types (such as SQL, Oracle, etc.) and the BIM authoring tools Revit and ArchiCAD.
The most suitable system depends on the customer's specific requirements.