Database
Contents
Definition
A Database is A collection of information organized in such a way that a computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data. Relational databases are organized by fields, records, and tables. A field is a single piece of information, a record is one complete set of fields, and a table is a collection of records. Storing content in fields rather than on static pages makes that content appropriate for dynamic delivery.
Summary
Description
The International Nuclear Information System (INIS), maintained by the IAEA, is the world’s leading information system on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. This database indexes scientific literature published worldwide on the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology focusing on technical data, references, and bibliographies from the world’s biggest digital nuclear reference centers in fields of nuclear science and technology. Legal and social aspects associated with nuclear energy are included, as well as the economic and environmental aspects of all non-nuclear energy sources.
Source: Planning and Execution of Knowledge Management Assist Missions for Nuclear Organizations
Description
For the development of an appropriate taxonomy for the FRKPS it is necessary to describe the concept of this system and then to identify the requirements and principles that should be satisfied when developing its structure.
FRKPS concept
The main elements constituting the FRKPS concept are the following:
- The purpose for which the FRKPS database is created;
- The knowledge area covered by this database;
- The approach to presentation of information, which is contained in FRKPS;
- Target users of this database.
Elaboration of each of the above elements gives rise to the proposed concept of the FRKPS described below.
The main purpose of FRKPS is to ensure preservation of SFR knowledge and experience gained in different countries in a form that facilitates effective search and use of the stored information. It is assumed that a carefully structured electronic database would not only preserve knowledge on fast reactors, but also facilitate classification of information on SFRs accumulated in different countries and exchange of this information between countries.
The knowledge area covered by this database pertains to the knowledge accumulated on SFRs, since real experience is available only on this type of fast reactor. The database should cover all aspects of reactor technology related to SFRs, as well as all options for implementation (including personnel training and lessons learned from different phases of SFR development and implementation) ever used, since this is the only way to ensure preservation of SFR technology as a whole. Nevertheless, the [Taxonomy|taxonomy]] of FRKPS under development should also have the flexibility for storing information on other types of fast reactor in case they are chosen for implementation in the future.
The approach to the presentation of information contained in the FRKPS database is primarily based on the fact that it should be an electronic database, since that is the only option that offers the capability for a rapid and effective search of the required information. It is obvious that classification of the wide variety of available documents and other materials on fast reactors requires a unified approach to the presentation of these documents in the database. There are two possible methods for unification of document presentation in the FRKPS.
The first method is modification of the original documents in accordance with a pre-developed and unified electronic format, including their translation into any one language chosen for FRKPS, for example English. Such an approach appears to be hardly feasible because of the enormous scope of work and, hence, considerable demands on financial and time resources. Besides, if some documents contain proprietary information this may become a significant barrier to including these documents in the common database.
The second method, which is based on concise information cards that reflect the content of the original documents, is more practical. This does not preclude storage of the original document in the FRKPS if the owner agrees. The documents would not be modified from the original language. Thus, some documents would be transferred to the FRKPS in full while others that perhaps contain proprietary information would exist in the FRKPS only with a concise description of the content on the information card. This approach requires that the owner of the document guarantees its existence and that the information card that is prepared in a specific format indicates the location of the document. When necessary, the user of the FRKPS can contact the document owner for permission to obtain the original document.
The target users of the FRKPS will likely be specialists working in the area of fast reactors and students. Fast reactor technology embraces a wide range of disciplines. Thus, the FRKPS taxonomy must reflect this range of disciplines with multiple divisions such as neutronics, fuels and materials, thermal hydraulics, etc.
Main requirements for the FRKPS taxonomy
Based on the above proposed concept for the FRKPS, specific requirements (criteria) to be met by the taxonomy of this information system are discussed below:
- Sufficient versatility, making it possible to cover all possible types of fast reactor in addition to SFR, and thus taking into account all possible trends of development of fast reactor technology.
- Adequate unification assuming common topical sections related to all types of fast reactor, as well as a unified format of material presentation. This should significantly facilitate the use and maintenance of the FRKPS.
- Adequate comprehensiveness to cover all aspects of fast reactor technology and all significant experience available on each specific reactor facility.
- A hierarchical nature of the structure that ensures a progressively detailed elaboration of each aspect of fast reactor technology with increasing structural level.
- An optimum range of the structure that excludes superfluous detail and hence facilitates database operation.
- Reasonable redundancy, allowing duplication of information in various sections of the system to ensure the presentation of complete information at the level of some system sections.
- Capability of developing and expanding, if necessary, thus facilitating maintenance of the system.
Source: Fast Reactor Knowledge Preservation System: Taxonomy and Basic Requirements
