Data Insertion¶

Data Models¶

Data is stored and structured in CaosDB using a concept of RecordTypes, Properties, Records etc. If you do not know what these are, please look at the chapter Data Model .

In order to insert some actual data, we need to create a data model using RecordTypes and Properties (You may skip this if you use a CaosDB instance that already has the required types). So, let’s create a simple Property called “a” of datatype double. This is very easy in pylib:

a = db.Property(name="a", datatype=db.DOUBLE)

There are a few basic datatypes: db.INTEGER, db.TEXT. See data type for a full list.

We can create our own small data model for e.g. a simulation by adding two more Properties and a RecordType:

b = db.Property(name="b", datatype=db.DOUBLE)
epsilon = db.Property(name="epsilon", datatype=db.DOUBLE)
recordtype = db.RecordType(name="BarkleySimulation")
recordtype.add_property(a)
recordtype.add_property(b)
recordtype.add_property(epsilon)
container = db.Container()
container.extend([a, b, epsilon, recordtype])
container.insert()

Insert Actual Data¶

Suppose the RecordType “Experiment” and the Property “date” exist in the database. You can then create single data Records by using the corresponding python class:

rec = db.Record()
rec.add_parent(name="Experiment")
rec.add_property(name="date", value="2020-01-07")
rec.insert()

Here, the record has a parent: The RecordType “Experiment”. And a Property: date.

Note, that if you want to use a property that is not a primitive datatype like db.INTEGER and so on, you need to use the ID of the Entity that you are referencing.

rec = db.Record()
rec.add_parent(name="Experiment")
rec.add_property(name="report", value=235507)
rec.add_property(name="Analysis", value=230007)
rec.insert()

Of course, the IDs 235507 and 230007 need to exist in CaosDB. The first example shows how to use a db.REFERENCE Property (report) and the second shows that you can use any RecordType as Property to reference a Record that has such a parent.

Most Records do not have name however it can absolutely make sense. In that case use the name argument when creating it. Another useful feature is the fact that properties can have units:

rec = db.Record("DeviceNo-AB110")
rec.add_parent(name="SlicingMachine")
rec.add_property(name="weight", value="1749", unit="kg")
rec.insert()

If you are in some kind of analysis you can do this in batch mode with a container. E.g. if you have a python list analysis_results:

cont = db.Container()
for date, result in analysis_results:
   rec = db.Record()
   rec.add_parent(name="Experiment")
   rec.add_property(name="date", value=date)
   rec.add_property(name="result", value=result)
   cont.append(rec)

cont.insert()

Useful is also, that you can insert directly tabular data.

from caosadvancedtools.table_converter import from_tsv

recs = from_tsv("test.csv", "Experiment")
print(recs)
recs.insert()

With this example file test.csv.

Inheritance of Properties¶

Given, you want to insert a new RecordType “Fridge temperatur experiment” as a child of the existing RecordType “Experiment”. The latter may have an obligatory Property “date” (since every experiment is conducted at some time). It is a natural way of thinking, that every sub type of “Experiment” also has this obligatory Property—in terms of object oriented programing the “Fridge temperatur experiment” inherits that Property.

rt = h.RecordType(name="Fridge temperatur experiment",
                          description="RecordType which inherits all obligatory properties from Experiment"
                          ).add_parent(name="Experiment", inheritance="obligatory").insert()

print(rt.get_property(name="date").importance) ### rt now has a "date"-property -> this line prints "obligatory"

The parameter ``inheritance=(obligatory|recommended|fix|all|none)`` of add_parent tells the server to assign obligatory:: properties of the parent to the child automatically, recommended:: properties of the parent to the child automatically, fix:: properties of the parent to the child automatically, all:: properties of the parent to the child automatically, none:: of the properties of the parent to child automatically,

File Update¶

Updating an existing file by uploading a new version.

Retrieve the file record of interest, e.g. by ID:

import caosdb as db

file_upd = db.File(id=174).retrieve()

Set the new local file path. The remote file path is stored in the file object as file_upd.path while the local path can be found in file_upd.file.

file_upd.file = "./supplements.pdf"

Update the file:

file_upd.update()