Design Document for the DBInstall Schedule and Notification Tools
By Lee Ann Yasukawa
March 28, 2000

OVERVIEW

The purpose of these tools are three-fold: 1) to keep Control System users informed of scheduled DBInstall dates and to track new items which expand the database, 2) to determine whether taking time out to perform a DBInstall is warranted or whether it could be delayed and 3) to issue reminders to users to get their database requests to the Control’s Software group. In order to meet those three objectives, several tools were created to help automate tasks to perform those functions.

DESIGN

SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:DBINSTALL_SCHED.HTML is the file which contains the DBInstall dates. This file must be manually updated with the dates of the scheduled DBInstall and also of the dates which the data requests must be made to the Control’s Software group. The format of this file is very important and must not change without verifying that the scripts do not break. This file is linked to the Control’s Software home page under the “What’s New” section. The direct URL to this page is

http://www-mcc.slac.stanford.edu/slcshr_softdat/dbinstall_sched.html

SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:NEWDBITEMS.TXT is the file which users update with their database changes. This file gets displayed by typing SEE_NEWDBITEMS from MCC or MCCDEV or by selecting the next DBInstall date listed on the DBInstall_sched.html page. To edit this file, users can type editnewdbitems from MCCDEV or when replacing a file in the REF_DBSFILE directory using SLCCMS, users will be prompted to answer questions which may result in this file being loaded in their editor. The direct URL for this page is

http://www-mcc.slac.stanford.edu/lcshr_softdat/newdbitems.txt

Once a DBInstall occurs, this file will be renamed SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:NEWDBITEMS.DD-MMM-YYYY for archiving purposes. Anew SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:NEWDBITEMS.TXT file will be created from the SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:NEWDBITEMS.NULL file.

SLCCOM:EDITNEWDBITEMS.COM is the command procedure which starts an editor and loads the file SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:NEWDBITEMS.TXT. This procedure is invoked from SLCCMS when replacing a REF_DBSFILE:*.DBS file and answering the questions in the appropriate way and also when typing editnewdbitems from MCCDEV.

SLCCOM:BATCH_NEWDBITEMS.SUBMIT is the command file which is invoked every night at 00:15. This command procedure parses the file SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:DBINSTALL_SCHED.HTML and determines if today’s date matches the due date listed in the file for new database items. If the dates match, email will be sent to the distribution list SLCDIS:DBINSTALL.DIS to remind them to get their changes to Control’s Software today. If the dates don’t match, no action is taken.

SLCCOM:SWEEP_NEWDBITEMS.COM is the command file which will run as part of the DBInstall. This procedure deletes today’s date out of the file SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:DBINSTALL_SCHED.HTML and moves the next DBINSTALL date up to where the hyperlink points. It renames the SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:NEWDBITEMS.TXT file to have today’s date as the file extension for archiving purposes and creates a new SLCSHR_SOFTDAT:NEWDBITEMS.TXT file.