AEC teams and federal agencies can and often do collect internally sourced data from their own specialists, vendors, and partners.
Internally sourced data is difficult to maintain and do not have the same level of developed user interface or functionalities as a commercial product.
Estimators use a cost database to store data in structured way which is easy to manage and retrieve.
Resources and crews can be stored as data in the cost database and can also be related to work items.
For example, there are various formulas for calculating the area of shapes, the volume of solids or spaces, and the weight of materials.
Additionally, data which helps calculate the selection or specification of estimate contents can be included.