An interactive browser for BaBar databases

Approximately 300 terabytes of data per year will be generated from the output of the BABAR physics detector. An Object Database Management System (Objectivity/DB) stores this information via a C++ API. Objectivity/DB tasks performed within the BABAR offline environment can be split into two groups: 1. General purpose “browsing” performed by all users to obtain a view of the data stored within federations. Browsing is confined to read-only access. 2. Administrative operations involving reading and writing to/from databases in order to distribute data to other sites worldwide. Use of such operations is restricted. We require interactive tools to perform both sets of tasks. In addition, we have requirements related to scalability and ease of use. Information needs to be retrieved discreetly, in a manner that reflects the BABAR system arrangement. Generic Objectivity/DB tools were not designed to address these demands. This paper describes a distributed, interactive framework that caters for BABAR users. An implementation is currently being developed which provides read-only browser functionality to the BABAR community. keywords Java, C++, CORBA, Objectivity/DB