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General Disclaimer One or more of the Following Statements may affect this Document This document has been reproduced from the best copy furnished by the organizational source. It is being released in the interest of making available as much information as possible. This document may contain data, which exceeds the sheet parameters. It was furnished in this condition by the organizational source and is the best copy available. This document may contain tone-on-tone or color graphs, charts and/or pictures, which have been reproduced in black and white. This document is paginated as submitted by the original source. Portions of this document are not fully legible due to the historical nature of some of the material. However, it is the best reproduction available from the original submission. Produced by the NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI) N APF16-M SFC'02121 N I j O L1 1. C/J :9E C; r`• ii. Technical Report 'M DA -TA BASE MANAGEMENT' S -T- L.JI D ' INTERIM REPORT (NASA-CR-1`-0167) DATA BASE MANAGEMENT STUDY N77-15671 Interim Report (Teledyne Brown Engineering) 62 p HC A04/MF A01 CSCL 09B Uaclas G3/60 12515 May 19/6 a FED 1' RWEIVEC' NASA M %CIU INPUT R*NGH TELEDYNE BROWN ENGINEERING C^umrnings Research Park- Huntsville, Alabama 35807 I TECHNICAL REPORT APF76-MSFC-02127 DATA BASE IMAGEMENT STUDY INTERIM REPORT May, 1976 Prepared for Data Systems Laboratory George C. Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Alabama Contract No. NAS8-31488 Prepared by Advanced Projects Division . Teledyne Brown Engineering . Huntsville, Alabama ABSTRACT This interim report presents the results of work performed by Teledyne Brown Engineering (TBE) under NASA contract NAS8-31488. It describes data base management techniques and applicable equipment and contains recommendations which will assist potential NASA data users in ! selecting and using appropriate data base management tools and techniques. r The report is organized to present the primary areas of investigation. +. Fart 1 surveys classes of currently available data processing equipment ranging from basic terminals to large minicomputer systems, as i they apply to the needs of potential SEASAT data users. It also includes cost and capabilities projections for this equipment through 1985. Part: t2 describes a test conducted by TBE of a typical Data Base Management System, the results of this hest, and recommendations to assist potential users in determining when such a system is appropriate for their needs. i The representative system tested was UNIVr',C's DMS 1100. Part 3 presents the requirements that potential users will have for NASA data. Based on these requirements and the data reporting plans for several NASA programs, I it also discusses the resulting impact on user equipment needs. Approved: a I!^ R. R. Parker, Ph.D Manager i TABLE OF CONTENTS Part 1 - Survey and Capabilities Projections for SEASAT User Data Systems Page 1. INTRODUCTION 2. APPROACH 2-1 2.1 Survey of Currently Available Equipment. 2-1 s 2,2 Capability and Cost Projection . 2-3 t 3. TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS . • • . 3-1 4. MICROCOMPUTER BASED SYSTEMS . 4-1 I 5. SMALL MINICOMPUTER BASED SYSTEMS. • . 5-1 6. LARGE MINICOMPUTER BASED SYSTEMS. ♦ • • 6-1 7. EQUIPMENT PROJECTIONS THROUGH 1985. , . , , 7-1 7.1 Capabilities by Equipment Categories . , 7-2 _ 7.1.1 Telecommunications Systems. • . 7-3 i 7.1.2 Microcomputer Systems . , , 7-4 s 7.1.3 Small Minicomputer Systems, . • . 7-6 ;t 7.1.4 Large Minicomputer Systems . f 7-7 7.2 System Cost Projections. , , 7-8 Part 2 - DMS 1100 Test and Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION , . 2. TEST PROCEDURE AND RESULTS . , . , . .2--1 x it ° 2,1 Test Description , 42-1 }, r 2.1.1 Environment . .2--1 . I. 2.1.2 Files , f , .2-2 2.1.3 Operations on Files . .2--3 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED Page S 2.2 Quantitative Test Results . 2-3 f r 3. ANALYSIS OE TEST RESULTS . 3-1 3.1 Ease Of Use. 3-1 3.1.1 Documentation . 3--2 3.1.2 Program Diagnositcs . 3-2 3.1.3 Comments on System Design . 3-3 3.2 Machine Resources . 3--3 4. RECOMMENDATIONS . 4-1 4.1 When Is a DBMS Appropriate . 4-1 4.2 DMS 1100 . 4-3 Part 3 -- NASA Data Users'. Requirements For Processing Equipment 1. INTRODUCTION . 1-1 1 2. USERS' DATA NEEDS . 2-1 „_.., 2.1 Categorization of Data Needs . 2--1 2.2 Examples of Potential Users. 2-2 3. INFLUENCE OF DATA NEEDS ON EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS 3w-1 3.1 Urgency of Data:. 3-1 3.2 Processing Required. 3-1 3.3 Presentation of Data . 3-2 3.4 Retention Requirements . 3-3 iv FART 1 SURVEY AND CAPABILITIES PROJECTIONS FOR SEASAT USER DATA SYSTEMS Part 1 of this document surveys minicomputer and microcomputer equipment available to potential users of SEASAT data. Com plete processing systems appropriate for SEASAT users are described, each of which can rrovide local access to central data files and a particular level of local processing power. Projections of system capabilities and costs through 1955 are also presented. Just as user needs can be categorized by re- quirements for local storage, processing power, and equipment sophistica- tion, the systems described in this report have been categorized for ease of reference. The categories presented are: telecommunications terminals (communication only with no local processing), microcomputer based systems (provide basic processing capability), small minicomputer systems (added processing power and graphics capability), and large minicomputer systems (powerful systems able to support large processing projects and networks of users) . 1, INTRODUCTION The potential users of SEASAT data will vary widely in terms of the data processing their applications will require, the resources they are able to commit to these projectb, and their own technical. capabilities. To assist them in the procurement and analysis of SEASAT data, they will require data processing equipment ranging from the most basic terminals to sophisticated, relatively independent computer systems. This report describes and predicts the future of applicable data processing and communications equipment from simple communications terminals through large, stand-alone minicomputer systems. The equipment discussed in this report has been categorized into four classes of configurations. Each configuration provides users of SEASAT data with a different level, of processing capabilities. Such aspects of user requirements as the amount of data which must be mani- pulated, the amount of processing to be performed, and the computer sopitistication necessary for their tasks were used to define these categories. The following section on the survey and projection approaches used for this report describes these classes and indicates their applica- bility to SEASAT data processing. Potential users should first examine this next section to determine the type of equipment of most interest to theta. They should then examine the cnrresponding portions of Sections 3, 4; 5, and b, which describe these configurations in further detail and present the results of our survey of current, representative systems.. Section 7, which presents capabilities and cost projections for the equipment through 1985, can be used to help in formulating future equipment acquisition plans. 1-1 f 2. APPROACH The following subsections describe the approaches used in perform- ing this survey of currently available equipment and in predicting the future of this type of equipment. Also noted are significant assumptions used during the course of these activities. 2.1 SURVEY OF CURRENTLY AVAILABLE EgUIPMENT The categorization of current equipment used in this report is summarized in Table 2-1. This table also indicates the applicability of each category to SEASAT data users. The range of equipment available in each category mares it impossible to define distinct boundaries between categories. For example, a sophisticated microprocessor system may actually be more powerful than an inexpensive minicomputer based system. Thus, users should have their requirements clearly in mind and be prepared to examine a wide variety of equipment to determine what suits their needs best. In the following four sections, equipment representative of each category is described. A major objective in choosing this representative equipment was to demonstrate the variety of capabilities and technologies available in each category. In most cases, this equipment is from the larger, more established vendors. These vendors generally have the most complete systems and offer widely available service.. These advantages, however, do have their cost,, usually evident in total system price. Often by mixing mainframe and peripheral vendors, users can obtain superior performance and lower cost. Users must balance the simplicity of inter-- B A S I C S Y S T E M T Y P E O F 3 P T I 0 N A t SEASAT DATA PROCESSIIIG COMPONENTS C A P A B I L TI ES E Q U I PMENT CQMPOii EIITS APRIOX. a Interractive Inquiry To $1000 Locate Appropriate Data 1 - Telecommunications a Typewriter-like or to a Limited Receipt Of Only (See Section 3) CRT Terminal $4500 SEASAT Data Same As Above Plus: • Microprocessor:For a Formatting Data Requests Control and Processing $9000 2 - Microcomputer Based a Printer And Decoding Responses @ System Displa y- With Some to r Graphics From Central System To Terminal board anndd Displayy Local Processing Equipment SimpliFy Communication N Local Data Storage: $16,000 Capability (See a Automated Storage And Floppy Disk or Section 4) Examination of Limited N Cassette Tape N Amounts of SEASAT Data a Nardcopy Same As Above Plus: a Minicomputer (16-Sit device for $arO,000 s Graphical Inquiry SAT 3 - Small Minicomputer 113rd Size) graphic out Examination of SEASAT Based System With a Small Mass Storage- to put Data Graphics Capability Disk and Mag. Taps 000 a I^igherspeed ® More Processing power (See Section 5) a Slow-Printer and Card $87 ' I/O devices Reader s Graphics CRT b Minicomputer (32-bit Same As Above Plus: Word Size) with large $137 1 000 a Higher Speed s Able To Support Extensiv 4 - Large Minicomputer Memory to I/O Devices Stand-Alone Processing O Based System With a Med.