The INGRES TFTR Database

INGRES is a relational database management system. An INGRES database  is a system of files, not in typical VMS format. The files are accessible only through INGRES and are most often accessed from the more user-friendly programs MINGL and LOCUS. For more information about INGRES do $ HELP INGRES or see the INGRES manuals in the HLDAS room, B235. Dick Wieland is our INGRES administrator.

INGRES is a licensed product and not all nodes have a license; at login you will see a message if you can not run any INGRES applications on that node.

TFTR is the name of the INGRES database  that contains hundreds of tables of TFTR data. The following data tables are maintained for use by all the TFTR physicists. (Many ``privately'' owned tables and databases also exist.) All tables can be looked at with the INGRES version of LOCUS except for text oriented tables such as TASKLOG and OPERLOG.

TASKLOG  has the session leader summary for each shot, which includes selected parameter, a grade for the shot, the ``star'' field (whether the shot is significant to the XP or is of other interest), and a comment. The commands $ TASKLOOK and $ TASKPRINT allow you to peruse and/or print shots from this table.

OPERLOG  has the Physics Operator comments for each shot. These comments tend to be technical details about the setup for the shot. The commands $ OPERLOOK and $ OPERPRINT allow you to access this table.

ALLSHOTS  is a table that contains a select set of plasma parameters and event times for every TFTR shot that meets minimal plasma criteria, starting with the first plasma shot in December 1983.

WAVEFTFTR  is a table updated on a nightly basis that contains an extensive set of waveform parameters extracted at several times of interest for shots going back to 1986.

E_TIMES  contains an extensive set of event times for each shot catalogued in WAVEFTFTR..

SNAPS and SNAPP   contain scalar and derived values from selected SNAP runs going back to 1986. The parameters in these tables are defined in the SNAPDAB Template Document available in room LOB B235, as well as in the DBASE_TMPL on-line documentation file available by running MINGL, selecting DBASE, then DBASE_TMPL, then HELP, then WhatToDo.

CONTENTS  is a table of contents with information on who created the table, when, what program was used, and in the originator's own words, what the table contains. Two procedures allow access to this table:

    $ CONTENTS            browse mode
    $ UCON                detail mode

With either program, you can use the ENTER key to leaf through every entry, or can tab to a particular field and enter a constraint (e.g., type ZARNSTORFF in the User column) before proceeding. Users unfamiliar with INGRES forms should consult the ``Users' Guide to the MINGL Database System for TFTR''.