The ultrasonic equipment used is mostly controlled by computers and thus the parameters are stored together with the huge amount of scanning measurements on disks. However, some parameters must be manual recorded that is for example: test serial No., specimen identification and orientation during test, manual ultrasonic parameters and transducer identification.

The inspection results are of little use if they cannot be reproduced or evaluated due to lack of proper information. The International Organization for Standardization has strict rules in order to document the measurements properly.

As a part of a quality assurance system we have developed a computer database designed to keep all relevant information of an inspection. The database is designed in order to fit our automatic ultrasonic scan-system. It is implemented in Microsoft AccessR version 2.0 partly due to the possibility to store graphic information (drawings) in this program.

The database consists of several related tables to store the data and various forms and report formats for making the data-input and report writing as easy and automatic as possible. A typical test report from the database consists of a page describing the type of test and all main parameters including a description of what the ultrasonic plot present. Combined with colour plots of the scanning results this represents a quick and comprehensive way to report the results.

A major benefit of such a database is that it makes it very easy to make tables and compare parameters for series of scans. The database can also easily be modified to other techniques and scanning systems.