Commutative Algebra in the Mizar System

We report on the development of algebra in the Mizar system. This includes the construction of formal multivariate power series and polynomials as well as the definition of ideals up to a proof of the Hilbert basis theorem. We present how the algebraic structures are handled and how we inherited the past developments from the Mizar Mathematical Library (MML). The MML evolves and past contributions are revised and generalized. Our work on formal power series caused a number of such revisions. It seems that revising past developments with an intent to generalize them is a necessity when building a data base of formalized mathematics. This poses a question: how much generalization is best?