Combining structured and unstructured data in a configurable web-based logbook

A typical electronic logbook is designed as a general-purpose system for recording time-ordered events and actions and, therefore, allows for a great flexibility in recording information, but the data is unstructured. To better position it in a specific context (e.g., a, test facility, a group activity log) it needs to support both structured data (keyword, authors, etc) and unstructured data (text, title, attachments) in that context. To do this, a logbook system can define a set of attributes, possibly built as a hierarchy. These application-specific attributes will be associated with each entry. To be flexible, such a system has to be configurable to allow for tailoring it to each specific environment. The paper describes a design, functionality, and experiences with WebLog, a database-configurable electronic logbook developed with the J2EE Web technology. Various functional and technical properties of the system are discussed, including views, searches, threads of entries, an automated alerting system as well as integration with other applications

Designing a Magnetic Measurement Data Acquisition and Control System with Reuse in Mind: A Rotating Coil System Example

Accelerator magnet test facilities frequently need to measure different magnets on differently equipped test stands and with different instrumentation. Designing a modular and highly reusable system that combines flexibility built-in at the architectural level as well as on the component level addresses this need. Specification of the backbone of the system, with the interfaces and dataflow for software components and core hardware modules, serves as a basis for building such a system. The design process and implementation of an extensible magnetic measurement data acquisition and control system are described, including techniques for maximizing the reuse of software. The discussion is supported by showing the application of this methodology to constructing two dissimilar systems for rotating coil measurements, both based on the same architecture and sharing core hardware modules and many software components. The first system is for production testing 10 m long cryo-assemblies containing two MQXFA quadrupole magnets for the high-luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider and the second for testing IQC conventional quadrupole magnets in support of the accelerator system at Fermilab

Strength and shape of the magnetic field of the Fermilab main injector dipoles

Measurements of 230 6-meter and 136 4-meter dipoles constructed for the Fermilab Main Injector were carried out as part of the magnet production effort. An automated measurement system provided data on magnetic field strength and shape using several partially redundant systems. Results of these measurements are available for each individual magnet for use in accelerator modelling. In this report we will summarise the results on all of the magnets to characterise the properties which will govern accelerator operation

A configurable component-based software system for magnetic field measurements

A new software system to test accelerator magnets has been developed at Fermilab. The magnetic measurement technique involved employs a single stretched wire to measure alignment parameters and magnetic field strength. The software for the system is built on top of a flexible component-based framework, which allows for easy reconfiguration and runtime modification. Various user interface, data acquisition, analysis, and data persistence components can be configured to form different measurement systems that are tailored to specific requirements (e.g., involving magnet type or test stand). The system can also be configured with various measurement sequences or tests, each of them controlled by a dedicated script. It is capable of working interactively as well as executing a preselected sequence of tests. Each test can be parameterized to fit the specific magnet type or test stand requirements. The system has been designed with portability in mind and is capable of working on various platforms, such as Linux, Solaris, and Windows. It can be configured to use a local data acquisition subsystem or a remote data acquisition computer, such as a VME processor running VxWorks. All hardware-oriented components have been developed with a simulation option that allows for running and testing measurements in the absence of data acquisition hardware

Software For A Database-Controlled Measurement System At The Fermilab Magnet Test Facility

A software system has been developed for use in measuring the magnetic properties of accelerator magnets at the Fermilab Magnet Test Facility. Key features of the system include: # Storage of measurement data in a relational database. # Use of database tables to define the individual steps that occur during a measurement. # Use of an "electronic logbook" to store an historical record of important measurement details within the database. # A graphical user interface for measurement technicians and data analysts to use in acquiring and analyzing data. Other papers describe the preliminary software design [1], the design of the database tables [2], and the results of measurements obtained using this system [3] [4]. This paper describes the final software system design, with particular emphasis on the data acquisition subsystem. Currently, the system supports 3 test stations and has been used to measure approximately 85 magnets. It is used for both production measurements and R & ..

Table of tables: A database design tool for SYBASE

The Table of Tables' application system captures in a set of SYBASE tables the basic design specification for a database schema. Specification of tables, columns (including the related defaults and rules for the stored values) and keys is provided. The feature which makes this application specifically useful for SYBASE is the ability to automatically generate SYBASE triggers. A description field is provided for each database object. Based on the data stored, SQL scripts for creating complete schema including the tables, their defaults and rules, their indexes, and their SYBASE triggers, are written by TOT. Insert, update and delete triggers are generated from TOT to guarantee integrity of data relations when tables are connected by single column foreign keys. The application is written in SYBASE's APT-SQL and includes a forms based data entry system. Using the features of TOT we can create a complete database schema for which the data integrity specified by our design is guaranteed by the SYBASE triggers generated by TOT. 3 refs

Software Design for a Database Driven System for Accelerator Magnet Measurements

Measurements of more than 1000 new magnets are needed for the Main Injector Project at Fermilab. In order to achieve efficiency and accuracy in measurements, we chose a database driven design for control of the measurement system. We will use a relational database to describe the measurement subjects and equipment. A logbook system defined in the database will provide for prescription of measurements to be carried out, description of measurements as they are carried out, and a comment database for less structured information. The operator interface will be built on X-windows. This paper will describe our system design. 2 refs