C.P. de Vries
Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON)
A critical requirement, for data analysis systems used for massive processing of data on a routine basis, is that the system is able to deliver processed data of controlled (best) quality in a (semi) automatic fashion. In order to control quality of data it is needed to have the ability to trace heritage of al data products. This means recording of all parameters of all steps which lead to the establishment of the final data product(s). In addition, one should be able to generate overviews of all available data and intermediary products, based on data descriptions and processing heritage, in order to check processing status and initiate subsequent processing steps. For this purpose the SRON-HeaD ( SRON, High Energy Astrophysics department Data analysis ) system was set up. Kernel of the system is a relational database (RDBMS) which holds information on all processing steps and parameters (including software configuration) and keeps a description of the data. This paper describes the basic set-up and principle of the system. The SRON-HeaD system will be used for a variety of SRON project data, including SAX (WFC) and XMM (RGS).