Subject: database updates

From: [email-masked] (Hans-Martin Adorf)
Date: Tue, 2 Aug 1994 11:09:31 -0500

Dear friends,

I have a question related to the update procedure of the now central
AstroWeb database at the STScI: the astroweb is continuously receiving
update/inclusion  requests from astronomical institutes around the world. I
usually file these requests away for some later time, and now I have
collected a number of which I presume most have made their way already into
the database.

What are we supposed to be doing with these requests? Does every AstroWeb
member carry out a search of the AstroWeb database and include the new
source, if it wasn't there already? This seems to me a waste of our
precious time.

I therefore wonder what you think of a scheme where one of us would be on
the AstroWeb "hot seat" for a month say and handle all requests that flow
in during that time.

Cheers
Hans-Martin

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From: Bob Jackson <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 2 Aug 94 12:20:26 EDT

The Form used to add a single resource checks if the
URL is already present, i.e., it does the search for you.

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From: dwells (Don Wells)
Date: Wed, 3 Aug 94 11:19:44 EDT

Hans-Martin Adorf writes:
 > ... I
 > the database..

I have exactly the same problem. Some of the requests which I have
received were addressed to me personally.  I must check them.  Most,
if not all, of the ones that were addressed to the AstroWeb mailing
list have been entered by Anton and Bob.

The STScI WAIS search utility is a good tool for testing the existence
of resource records. Another technique which I use is the
'incremental-search' feature of Emacs.

 > the AstroWeb "hot seat" for a month say and handle all requests that flow

IMO, your "hot-seat" idea would probably be a good thing.

-Don