Data integrity refers to the accuracy, completeness and reliability of data stored within your Cradle database. Checking database integrity is important as it guarantees both the traceability and searchability of your data. It also increases the performance and stability of your data. Maintaining the integrity of your data is essential. As you collect more and more data within your Cradle project, it is a priority to maintain the integrity of this data, otherwise the data is worthless.
Error checking ensures that your Cradle data hasn’t been compromised, e.g. during upgrades/imports etc. We recommend that integrity checks are done on a regular basis.
In Cradle, there are a couple of ways to check the integrity of your database:
Please note that these checks must only be run when there are NO other users active in the database. If you are in doubt as to whether you are the only user active in the database, then DO NOT run these checks. If you do, damage can occur.
Item Integrity
The Item Integrity option allows you to perform integrity checks on your Cradle database. This option is available from the Project tab in WorkBench:
Item Integrity dialog
The Frame Version Checks detect missing versions of any frames or missing records in any version of any frame for the item type specified. Errors can be fixed using the Fix button.
There are many Item Checks which are explained here.
Many of these checks can be made subject to one of the following scopes:
Superseded or retired – Selects items with a status of S (Superseded) or T (Retired)
Latest baseline – Selects items with a status of B (Open Baseline)
Deleted – Selects items with a status of D (Deleted)
Current – All current items
If you want to produce a report of the item integrity check, ensure to select the Generate a report checkbox.
Cross Reference Integrity
The Cross Reference Integrity Check option checks the cross references in your Cradle database.
Cross Reference Integrity dialog
The current set of cross references is scanned to find any cross references that are invalid. Any cross reference is only counted once in these checks. So if a cross reference is dangling and also invalid, it will only appear once in the counts.
When the integrity check has been ran you have the following options:
Fix – Fix the cross references
Export – Export the group to a CSV file
List – List the group individually
Delete – Delete the cross references from the group
The Fix and Delete options for privileged users must only be run when there are no other active users in the database. If you are in any doubt, do NOT run these operations.
If you want to produce a report of the cross reference integrity check, ensure to select the Generate error report checkbox.
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is an application that allows different types of databases to interface through the use of a library containing data access routines. Cradle now supports connections to DISAM, Oracle and MySQL.
This diagram shows the logical representation of the project data storage
Installation Requirements
Before installing check the minimum hardware and operating system requirements for ODBC. The following are necessary for a successful installation:
An Oracle or MySQL installation accessible to the CDS preferably on the same machine
An ODBC driver manager
An ODBC driver for the data source you wish to access. For example, Oracle in Oracle for Windows or SQL Server
Please ensure the versions are the following or greater:
Oracle in Oracle from Oracle Corporation version is 18c
MySQL ODBC 8.0 Unicode Driver from Oracle Corporation is version 8.0.16
Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator appropriate for your Windows release
unixODBC driver Manager 2.3.7 or later
*Cradle install will not work with Oracle databases that have been setup using the ‘Create as Container Database’ option.
ODBC is a licence option which can allow Oracle or SQL or both to work with our Cradle Enterprise version. This new licence is not available for any other version of Cradle. For enquires about the new ODBC licence, please email salesdetails@threesl.com.
Cradle and ODBC
The users can still import and export standard export, CSV, XML and now ReqIF files. If a user is on Windows they can still use our Toolsuite applications. The only difference is the access to databases either directly (DISAM) or through ODBC (Oracle and MySQL).
With Cradle supporting ODBC, a user can now install Cradle on the same database server farm as the Oracle/MySQL databases. A separate server is no longer required. Although projects can be on a separate server and linked to the Cradle database using a UNC path e.g. \\hostname\path\projects\mmh1. Click for more information on Storing Project Databases in NAS.
Cradle About WorkBench UI showing 3 different projects on 2 different servers
Installing ODBC
The CDS requires an installation of ODBC on the same machine for either Linux or Windows. Client machines which don’t have the CDS on them don’t need to have ODBC installed at all.
Linux
If the Linux distribution you are installing on does not have v2.3.7 of unixODBC as a package, then you’ll need to build this from source. You can download and find installing steps for it from http://www.unixodbc.org/download.html. Ensure the user installing is the System Administrator or a user with administrator privileges for installing both ODBC and Cradle.
Check for the following files on your Linux installation:
Necessary files on Linux
Windows
If the Windows platform you are installing on does not have ODBC please install the latest Oracle in Oracle for Windows. You can find installing and upgrading documents for Oracle Database here and select the release you are on from the drop-down.
Certain settings are required to be selected when using Oracle in Oracle. Check and enable or disable the following options in the Oracle ODBC Driver Configuration checking all numbers:
Oracle ODBC Driver Configuration for Application, Oracle and Workarounds
Turn on the Connection Pooling attributes and use the default options:
Turn on Connection Pooling Attributes
Setting up with Cradle
After installation of both Oracle and Cradle, the administrator is required to check and alter the following files correctly:
Support file for the driver when required on Windows usually in ‘Oracle <version>\network\admin’
The following example of a tnsnames.ora file, shows it can have more than one Oracle database location set within it.
tnsnames.ora file
Correctly configure the ODBC file for Cradle in %CRADLEHOME%\admin\db_config\odbc called odbc_config
All options are hashed out in the file until an administrator changes them. All options show an example of what can be entered. This is an odbc_config example for just Oracle on one of our installations.
Correctly configure the file create_CRADLE_CDS_USER in cradle\admin\db_config\odbc\setup_scripts
The default user tablespace and users within your Oracle database need to be set within this file. This is to allow the altering and creating privileges for the users. In our original it has:
USER “CRADLE_CDS_USER”
DEFAULT TABLESPACE “USERS”
The privilege options in create_CRADLE_CDS_USER should be changed to your own tablespace and user names used in the odbc_config file.
Creating New Projects
Users get the same Cradle interface as before but with a new section it now allows connects to 3 different types of database. The different databases can be created through Project Manager by selecting a different Data Source.
Showing 2 different Oracle databases either can be used
Once a source is selected, a new section allows the default settings from the odbc_config file to be bypassed if required:
Projects can be still be created through a command line using c_prj using the new -odbc_src option.
Both -odbc_user and -odbc_pwd are left blank so the default user and password from the odbc_config file will be used. They will only be filled when an override is required. When creating a database for Oracle then the -odbc_sch DEFAULT would be used. For an SQL database then -odbc_sch DATABASE would be used.
File Locations
All items requirements, system notes and diagrams etc., will be located in an Oracle database but there are some files that are kept in a project folder like in a DISAM project.
The ‘prj_params’ file can be found in the project folder with a new file called ‘connection_config’. The ‘prj_params’ is the same as before, with all the options for the project schema and user interactions. The new ‘connection_config’ file holds the version, type, database source and odbc schema used. It also holds the User and Password to override the DEFAULT USER / PASSWORD from the odbc_config.
The definitions e.g. views, queries and reports etc., are still held in the definitions folder under the different user types. Source and FormalDocuments are also held as before in the doc and fdoc folders.
*****NOTE*****
Direct manipulation of data in Cradle’s data files held in DISAM or an ODBC supported database is not recommended under any circumstance. The inherent integrity of the data and its internal relationships can only be maintained by accessing through Cradle’s defined UI, command-line or API tools.
We do not provide any information about Cradle’s use of Oracle and MySQL other than which we provide in our documentation
We do not provide any information or assistance to anyone who is proposing to access Cradle’s data that is stored in Oracle or MySQL other than through Cradle
Anyone who accesses, either read-only or read-write, Cradle data that is stored in Oracle or MySQL without using Cradle as the only means to access that data, does so entirely at their own risk and 3SL will not accept any responsibility for, nor provide any assistance to, anyone who accesses Cradle data in that way and then subsequently finds that their data is no longer accessible through, or manipulable by, Cradle
We are sometimes asked about storing project databases in NAS (network attached storage), is it possible, is it a good idea, and how to do it.
NAS
Network attached storage is a type of storage device that attaches directly to a network. It is typically a RAID array of disks with one or more interfaces and some management software. It provides network storage without a need to manage a server with attached storage.
A Typical NAS Device
Storing Project Databases in NAS
Each Cradle project database is a directory of files and subdirectories. It can be stored anywhere. So, yes, you can store a Cradle database on a NAS device.
Since the NAS device is not a server in the normal sense, it will not be running any part of Cradle and, in particular, will therefore not be running the Cradle Database Server (CDS).
Therefore storing Cradle database(s) on a NAS device means that you are storing them remote form the CDS.
Storing Project Databases in Server Storage
For the same reason, you can store a Cradle project database on a server that is separate from the computer that runs the CDS.
Therefore storing Cradle database(s) on a separate server means that you are storing them remote form the CDS.
Advantages and Disadvantages
If you don’t have a server in your network, then a NAS device is a cost-effective means to add centralised storage.
NAS devices are often used to collate data for backup. Storing Cradle databases on a NAS device eliminates the need to copy the databases onto the NAS device for backup.
Not storing Cradle databases on the machine that runs the CDS adds considerable latency between the CDS and the disk(s) that store the databases. Increasing latency worsens the performance of the CDS.
How to Store Cradle Databases on NAS
Specify the location of the database’s directory using a UNC pathname, of the form: \\hostname\path
Ensure that the access rights of the database’s NAS directory are accessible RW by the Windows ‘System’ user of the computer that runs the CDS or, for Linux, either root or whatever user your CDS runs as on its local machine
Recommendations
In general, we do not recommend storing project databases in NAS or indeed in any network-based resource.
If possible, only store your Cradle databases on the machine that runs the CDS and backup your databases regularly!
