LHC Reference Database: Towards a Mechanical, Optical and Electrical Layout Database

The LHC project has entered a phase of integration and installation of thousands of diverse components. The Hardware Commissioning work has also started. Collecting and distributing reliable and coherent information on the equipments and their layout becomes a crucial requirement in the lifecycle of the project. Existing database tools had to evolve to a more generic model to cover not only optical layout, but also the mechanical and the electrical aspects. This paper explains the requirements, the implementation and the benefits of this new database model.