A standard data access layer for fusion devices R&D programs

Each EURATOM Association stores data using proprietary schemes, usually developed by the research unit or using third party software. The temporary exchange of researchers between laboratories is a common practice nowadays. When the researchers returns to the home laboratory, there is usually the need to follow the work. The amount of available data is becoming enormous and the main data index is changing from shot number to time and events, where the pulse number is just one among the most relevant events against data is catalogued. These difficulties can be overcome by using a common software layer between end-users and laboratories. The components needed to create this software abstraction layer, between users and laboratories data, have already been developed using a universal and well known remote procedure call standard (RPC) based on the eXtensible Markup Language (XML): XML-RPC. The library allows data retrieval using the same methods for all associations. Users are authenticated through the PAPI system ( http://papi.rediris.es), allowing each organization to use its own authentication schema. Presently there are libraries and server implementations in Java and C++. These libraries have been included and tested in some of the most common data analysis programs such as MatLab and IDL. The system is already being used in ISTTOK/PT and CASTOR/CZ.