A survey of the use of database management systems in accelerator projects

The International Accelerator Database Group (IADBG) was set up in 1994 to bring together the people who are working with databases in accelerator laboratories so that they can exchange information and experience. The group now has members from more than 20 institutes from all around the world, representing nearly double this number of projects. This paper is based on the information gathered by the IADBG and describes why commercial DataBase Management Systems (DBMS) are being used in accelerator projects and what they are being used for. Initially introduced to handle equipment builders' data, commercial DBMS are now being used in almost all areas of accelerators from on-line control to personnel data. A variety of commercial systems are being used in conjunction with a diverse selection of application software for data maintenance/manipulation and controls. This paper reviews the database activities known to IADBG.