A FDBS is one which "definethe architecture and interconnect[s databases that minimize central authority yet support partial sharing and coordination among database systems". This description might not accurately reflect the McLeod/Heimbigner definition of a federated database. Rather, this description fits what McLeod/Heimbigner called a "composite" database. McLeod/Heimbigner's federated database is a collection of autonomous components that make their data available to other members of the federation through the publication of an export schema and access operations; there is no unified, central schema that encompasses the information available from the members of the federation.