Reference files

These are the latest versions of the documentation files for the database. Download the database client and install it locally to work with this version of the database. Instructions on how to use it can be found here.

Questions & answers

When measuring multi geometry sensors, thus sensors with several regions, how to place them in the database file? Should there be one file per region or one file per detector?

One file per region. Correspondingly the "region" field should be set ot the correct value.

Apart from CV and IV measurements on a whole region, there will also be some kind of interstrip capacitance measurement; one per region. How to place it in the file and identify it there correctly?

You use the StripMeasurement part (see pdf document here, page 11): suppose you want to scan three voltages (50, 100 and 150) for 4 strips (1, 2, 3, 4), then you put the following values in the vectors: 

voltage    : 50 100 150 50 100 150 50 100 150 50 100 150
stripNumber:   1  1   1  2   2  2   3   3   3  4   4   4
In the measurement values, then you also put 12 values in the vector Cint[], Rint[], CAC[], frequency[], Rpoly[], Ileak[], Idiel[]. For example the Cint of strip 2 @ 50V will be the 4th element in the vector.

In the presentation it is said that missing measurements in vector are replaced by 'null' string. What does this mean exactly?

The 'null' value should be used only if strictly needed. Let's suppose for example that we measure the current every 10 seconds and the humidity every 20 seconds, then the vector fo time will be like "0 10 20 30 40 50 60", the vector of current will be like "1 2 1 2 2 3 3" then, of course we need to insert some null values for the humidity. Like "20 null 20 null 20 null 20". In this case the three vectors will look like this in the xml file: 

<result name="time" value="0 10 20 30 40 50 60"/>
<result name="current" value="1  2  1  2  2  3  3"/>
<result name="humidity" value="20 null 20 null 20 null 20"/>
An empty vector (with no data in it) will just be 
<result name="some_key" value=""/>

Is there any difference between values in empty keys, that should contain a value and those containing vectors?

If they are completely empty there is no difference. The difference comes into play only if you want to leave empty only certain values of the vector (see answer above)

Is it mandatory to upload all parts of a composite action at once?

No, you can use several uploads for the same composite action.

For example for a composite action VALIDATION made of 4 basic actions (IVCURVE, CVCURVE, IVCVANALYSIS, STRIPMEASUREMENT) you can upload everything with a single XML file like this one: 

<object id="MyObjectID"/>
<composite>
<action_description input_id="56" name="VALIDATION" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
<action>
<action_description input_id="18" name="IVCURVE" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
....
</action>
<action>
<action_description input_id="19" name="CVCURVE" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
....
</action>
<action>
<action_description input_id="47" name="IVCVANALYSIS" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
....
</action>
<action>
<action_description input_id="46" name="STRIPMEASUREMENT" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
....
</action>
</composite>
</unit>
Or you can use 2 different files like these:

First (IVCURVE, CVCURVE, STRIPMEASUREMENT):

<object id="MyObjectID"/>
<composite>
<action_description input_id="56" name="VALIDATION" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
<action>
<action_description input_id="18" name="IVCURVE" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
....
</action>
<action>
<action_description input_id="19" name="CVCURVE" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
....
</action>
<action>
<action_description input_id="46" name="STRIPMEASUREMENT" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
....
</action>
</composite>
</unit>

Second (IVCVANALYSIS):

<object id="MyObjectID"/>
<composite>
<action_description input_id="56" name="VALIDATION" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
<action>
<action_description input_id="47" name="IVCVANALYSIS" object_name="SEN" version="1"/>
....
</action>
</composite>
</unit>

For this example you could use up to 4 different files (1 per basic action). The composite action VALIDATION will be said to be "running" (ie. not completed) until all four actions are uploaded.

How do I delete data uploaded by mistake?

Data can not be removed from the database, but you can flag the last uploaded values to 'notvalid'. This is done by using the 'Workstations'/'Repair Object' panel of BigBrowser :

  • Enter the object_id in the "Object Barcode" field and press the Enter key. You should then see the list of actions available in the bottom panel.
  • Right click on the action you want to reset and select 'Reset this action'. The action should be added to the left panel.
  • Fill the 'operator', 'tool_id' and 'Results' fields (the Results field is an explanation about what happened).
  • Clic on the "Update" button in the toolbar.

As a result, the records linked to the reseted actions will be updated with the status "NOTVALID". The eventual composite actions will be re-opened and in "running" state as if the upload of the reseted actions had not been done.

What values shoud I use for the GUARDRINGCONNECTION parameter?

GUARDRINGCONNECTION is used in some actions to identify the connection of the guard ring. It is a numerical (integer) value with the following meaning 

1 = Ground
2 = Floating
3 = Ground_Amperometer
more values can be added in the future on demand to identify different connections. To have the full list, please check the database with the following query

select * from guard_ring

What should I put in the field Test_ID?

Test_ID is assigned by the system: you do not have to fill that in.

What should I put in the field Input_ID?

Input_ID is always the same for the same action. Basically it is the parameter defining the action. For example, for a "VALIDATION" action it should always be 56. You can find the right number in the example xmls above.

What should I put in the field Tool_ID?

Tool_ID is fixed and it represents the instrument with wich you performed the measurement. You should find your center and tool in the constructionDb interface (you need to be connected to the database!): Connection -> Preferences. Please check that they are present, otherwise ask us to add them in the database

What should I put in the field Local_ID?

Local_ID is a free field, that must uniquely identify the local copy of the test data that you have in your centre

How can I tag a measurement as "non standard"?

Sometimes we want to keep track and upload measurements that should not to be taken into account for the future analysis. (for example one could have measured a capacitance at a non-standard frequency or with a not yet calibrated test equipment). In this case you can put the value "status" to "notconform" instead of "reference".

The status of an uploaded record can also be later updated to "nonconform". So if you already uploaded data but then would like to set it "nonconform" you can do it.

Can I flag the outcome of the measurement as invalid? How?

Yes: you can use the value "....._val". The name for this value is different for each action (measurement): for example in the StripMeasurement its name is "STRIPMEASUREMENT_val" and so on.

If you put this value =0, this means that the outcome of the measurement is good. Negative values are supposed to be assigned to negative results and positive values should mean that the outcome of the measurement is not as expected, but not completely good. WARNING: this flag was not used up to now, so no standard was defined. If you think you need such an instrument to tag your measurements, please feel free to contact us: we will define some standard together.