Abstract: A system for automatically selecting part numbers and for loading data, which guarantees compatibility of a plurality of devices. A database maintainable by a user is provided to store part numbers and descriptions thereof. A mechanism is provided for selecting an item from the database based on a description and data in the database. Another mechanism is provided for selecting another item from the database as a function of its description, of the first item and of data relating the respective descriptions of both items to one another. Another mechanism is provided for successively selecting items from the database as a function of descriptions, of previously selected items and of data relating descriptions of at least some of the items to descriptions of other items.