Overview of ITPA Disruption Database

The ITPA Disruption Database follows the ITPA Database guidelines.

The ITPA Disruption Database is designed using a single MDSplus server and a single SQL server located at one site, and used to store disruption data for the working group.

All types of data submitted to the Disruption Database are stored in MDSplus, including both signal and scalar data types. More info on MDSplus, including the downloadable client software can be found in the MDSplus section, or at mdsplus.org.

The SQL server is used to store some scalar data in a relational database. Client software for access to the SQL database is not strictly necessary, as MDSplus contains all the data loaded to the ITPA Disruption Database. However, SQL access is recommended, as queries (such as shot surveys) can often be more efficiently done using a relational database.

Data is loaded into the ITPA Disruption Database by members of the working group without any intervention of the database administrators. Although the database administrators will run some very generic data integrity-checking algorithms, the quality and integrity of the data rests with the scientists who have supplied the information. All data is only available to members of the working group until that time a group publication warrants its release to the broader fusion community.