The purpose of this paper is to show the common basis of several database design modeling principles as compared with those modeling principles used in group technology. In addition, an implementation of a group technology retrieval schema utilizing a relational database management system is detailed. By taking advantage of this 'what is common' approach, two groups of relatively isolated modelers, one group from the database/information systems world, the other from the group technology world, will be able to share some common semantic ground. The group technology principles of "Mutually Exclusive" classification and "Common Element" classification are shown to be in exact correspondence with the database abstraction principles of "Generalization" and "Aggregation". In addition, it is suggested that an additional modeling principle from the database world, namely "Association", be incorporated within the mainstream of group technology modeling, thus resulting in increased modeling precision and power. © 1988.