Data Format in the polyDB [polymake wiki]

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===== Data Format in the polyDB =====

==== MongoDB Structure ====

MongoDB stores data (//documents// in MongoDB terms) in //collections// organized in //databases// (so the structure has two levels). There is one special database ''admin'' for user information, permissions and passwords. Some query operations can span collections in the same database, but usually not collections across databases. 

Therefore ''polyDB'' uses just two databases inside a MongoDB instance: Data is stored in collections inside the database ''polyDB''. Users and permissions are stored in ''admin''.


==== polyDB Structure ====

In the MongoDB instance the ''polyDB'' uses just one database and organizes everything in collections within this database. 

In ''polyDB'' objects are stored in //polyDB collections//, and these collections can be organized in (nested) //sections//. For each data collection there is an accompanying collection containing meta information on the data. The name of the //MongoDB collection// is composed from the collection and the chain of sections the collection is in. A family of objects //collection// organized in the subsection //sub// of section //section// is stored in the MongoDB collection ''section.sub.collection''. The meta information is in ''_collectionInfo.section.sub.collection''. 

For example, the family of smooth reflexive polytopes is in the collection ''SmoothReflexive'' in the subsection ''Lattice'' of the section ''Polytopes''. In terms of MongoDB, the dtaa is  stored in the in the MongoDB collection ''Polytopes.Lattice.SmoothReflexive'' of the database ''polyDB'', and the meta information is in ''_collectionInfo.Polytopes.Lattice.SmoothReflexive'' in the same database. 

Any documentation for the sections and collections are in the collections ''_collectionInformation.section.sub.collection'' and ''_sectionInfo.section'', ''_sectionInfo.section.sub'' etc. 

Data in the data collection is described by two documents in the meta collection:
  * a document for //meta information//. This document should have the following entries
    * ''description'': A short description of the data, only for internal use, this will not be displayed.
    * ''maintainer'': Maintainer of the data in polyDB, will be added to documents in the collection
    * ''creator'': Name of person creating the data, will be added to documents in the collection
    * ''contributor'': Name of the person who prepared the data for inclusion onto polyDB, will be added to documents in the collection
    * ''fields'': A list of data fields contained in a document in the collection. This can be used to produce a list of data that can be queried from the collection.
    * ''polydb_version'': the version of polyDB used to store the data
    * ''packages'': Here software packages can store additional information they need to access the data
  * a //json schema//: A json schema that completely describes the data. Each document in the collection should verify against this schema. MongoDB comes with its own internal schema verification methods. However, in ''polyDB'' we do not use this as it is based on an old draft of the schema language and has modifications from the standard. The schema is stored in a schema document with the three entries
    * ''section'': the section of the collection the schema applies to
    * ''collection'': the collection the schema applies to
    * ''schema'': The actual json schema. Both json schemas and MongoDB use ''$'' as a special character. We need to replace this in the schema for stroring as this would lead to conflicts otherwise. In ''polyDB'' we use ''__'' (two underscores) for this. 
The MongoDB ''_id'' of the info document is ''info.<polydb version>'' and of the schema document ''schema.<polydb version>'', where ''<polydb version.'' is the polydb version number for which the two documents apply.

{{ :user_guide:info.2.1.json |Here}} is an example of a //meta information document//, {{ :user_guide:schema.2.1.json |here}} is the schema document as it is contained in ''polyDB'', and {{ :user_guide:original_schema.2.1.json |here}} is the original json schema. 

==== Documentation entries in the Database ====

The documentation of a ''polyDB'' collection is stored in the MongoDB collection ''_collectionInfo.section.sub.collectionname''. Some information on sections and subsections is in ''_sectionInfo.section'', ''_sectionInfo.Section.Subsection_one'', etc. An example for a documentation document of a collection is {{ :user_guide:tropical.cubics.2.1.json |here}}, a documentation document for a section is {{ :user_guide:howto:tropical.2.1.json |here}}. This should sufficiently explain the structure of the documents. 

==== Permissions and Roles ====

MongoDB has a role based permission model. We use this for ''polyDB'' to organize read and write access to the collections.

For each collection there are two roles, one with just read access, and one with write access. For a collection //collection// in the subsection //subsection_one// of section //section// the two roles are
  * ''section.subsection_one.collection'' for read access
  * ''section.subsection_one.collection.admin'' for write access

(there may be more (or no) subsections in the list). 

For public read access to the data there is one role ''polymakeUser'' that inherits the read access roles of all public collections. This role is assigned to all users. In addition, a user can get assigned read access roles of non-public collections and write access roles to collections she or he wants to modify (add, delete or replace documents, edit the schema and meta data, edit the documentation). 

For general public access there is a user ''polymake'' that only has the ''polymakeUser'' role and password ''database''. With this user you can log into the MongoDB instance runngung the ''polyDB'' and read all public data. 

Creating roles and users, and assigning roles to users requires MonoDB the ''user admin role'' built into MongoDB, and thus is limited to administrators of ''polyDB''. Contact us if you 
  * want to start a public or private collection
  * want to give other people access to your private collection
  * want to make your private collection public. 


==== More Specifications for Data coming from ''polymake'' in the ''polyDB'' ====