MasterFormat 2004 and BSD SpecLink^®: Adopting New Numbering Should Be a Seamless, Painless Transition

All section numbers and titles in BSD SpecLink and the Products (short form) catalog of PerSpective® are based on CSI's MasterFormat™ 1995 edition. After several years in development and several drafts, the planned 2004 edition of MasterFormat is now coming into focus, and many people in the construction industry are understandably interested, if not concerned, about the potential impact the very significant changes in MasterFormat will have on their work. BSD's subscribers, for instance, are unnecessarily worried about the impact of the planned changes on their office master specifications.

Until now, we have chosen not to say anything definitive to our customers. However, in early November CSI published the proposed final revision (Draft 4) for public review at www.csinet.org and intends to finalize the document by mid-December. Publication is tentatively scheduled for late 2004. We feel relatively comfortable about addressing the topic of the MasterFormat revolution at this time, since we assume relatively few additional changes will be made between now and its final publication.

First of all, the familiar 16 divisions have been expanded to 49 divisions. Although many topics in Divisions 2 through 14 will remain in their approximate locations in the expanded scheme, the familiar 5-digit section numbering scheme has been changed to a six-digit numbering scheme. This means that every single section number and a great many section titles will change. In BSD SpecLink, it also means that thousands of cross references within the database will have to be changed. Of course, this is also true for Masterspec^®, Spectext^®, and other specification systems such as the Unified Facilities Guide Specifications published by NASA and the military services. However, BSD SpecLink (and PerSpective) are likely to be the only master specification systems capable of making the change from MasterFormat 1995 to MasterFormat 2004 overnight, in one fell swoop.

Once MasterFormat 2004 has been published, BSD intends to provide a vehicle for an automated transition that will allow our users to move to the new MasterFormat on a project by project basis. BSD's database automation should allow automatic conversion of existing projects from the old edition to the new one when the regular quarterly update is installed. This conversion will be accomplished through the creation of a "map" in the database that will relate the new numbering scheme to the old. We may even be able to convert user-added sections automatically, provided they comply with the ranges established in the 1995 edition of MasterFormat. Existing projects that are not updated will continue to use the old MasterFormat numbering scheme, but all new and updated projects in SpecLink and PerSpective will conform to the new MasterFormat.

Finally, as indicated on the front cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Don't Panic! SpecLink and PerSpective are ideally structured to allow a seamless, painless transition as the industry moves to adopt the new MasterFormat.