A Users View on Exploiting the Control System in MDs

After almost 10 years of beam operation, machine studies at the LHC are becoming more and more advanced and complex. This translates into a need for advanced software tools to acquire, log, manipulate, analyze machine data as well as to control the installed equipment. The different teams, often in collaboration, have developed many innovative solutions for this purpose. Notably several of these solutions have been developed using the Python language and by now it is possible to interact with the Logging System, with the LSA database, and directly with LHC equipment using Python. Although these solutions were not officially supported up to now, the Controls Group is presently working to improve the available infrastructure and support in this direction. This is an important step to allow tools developed for machine studies and hardware commissioning to enrich the diagnostics toolbox available for the daily operation of the LHC.