— This paper presents an exploratory approach to the development of a tool for integrating existing databases. The intent is to meet specific requirements and to achieve flexibility through the creation of an “open” system. The methodology assumes an integration model which captures the essential characteristics of a distributed system within a knowledge base. The model and the underlying knowledge base may be used to represent the distributed environment and to define requirements for the shared use of heterogeneous databases. An interactive method is proposed which allows the user to proceed in an iterative fashion in specifying system attributes and resolving design conflicts. The project is at present in the definition phase; current work is aimed at the identification of generic multidatabase services, and their abstraction in a form amenable for storage in the knowledge base.