SimDB = Simulation Database

• Data model
  • Data model discussions and comments
• page describing why we think SimDB development needs explicit input from different working groups.

abstract

We have (since Jan 2008) split up the former SNAP effort of the Theory Interest Group in two separate ones: SimDB(=Simulation Database) and SimDAP(=Simulation Data Access Protocol). Here we describe SimDB.

SimDB is a specification for a Simulation (meta-)Database (could be called Simulation Registry, -Portal).

SimDB is an online service offering query capabilities to a database containing meta data describing results of simulations and their post-processing as well as about the codes used in these algorithms. Currently the simulations are still supposed to be those that produce a representation of 3+1D space, (possibly reduced spatial dimension through assumptions of symmetry). This is open for discussion.

A SimDB also contains information about web services giving access to the simulation results themselves. The more detailed specification of such services is the goal of the SimDAP-specification.

To be continued ...

SimDB on Volute

Most developments of SimDB have been performed on the GoogleCode subversion repository of Norman Gray's Volute project.

The documents that will form part of the specification will whilst under development be put in the specification sub directory. Here we describe its contents.

• SimDB-note.doc: the Note describing SimDB, should be turned into a working draft at some point in the hopefully near future.
• uml/SimDB_DM.xml: XMI document containing the UML data model on which the spec is based. Created by the 12.1 version of the community edition of MagicDraw UML drawing tool.
• uml/SimDB_DM_INTERMEDIATE.xml: an XML document containing the so called "intermediate representation" of the data model. This is derived from the XMI model and is (much) easier to read and handle.
• html/SimDB.html: HTML documentation fo rthe datamodel. Fully crosslinked and documented. Contains also the UTYPEs for the data model elements.
• tap/SimDB_vodataservice.xml: XML document creating the TAP metadata for the SimDB database as a VODataservice.
• tap/SimDB_tap_tableset.xml: XMl document containing the TAP metadata for the SimDB database as an "empty" VOTable (i.e. a TABLE for each public table, with FIELDs but no DATA)
• xsd/: XML Schema files that defines how instances of the data model can be presented in XML.
  • base.xsd: a schema defining some base types for use by other type definitions in the schema set.
  • xsd/SimDB_root.xsd: the "element" part of the SimDB schema set. It contains the valid root elements, i.e. the ones with which documents can be made.
  • The other XSD files in xsd/ and xsd/simdb/ define the types.

-- GerardLemson - 13 Mar 2009
-- HerveWozniak - 23 Jun 2008