Is there a method to store a sequence in a database?

[kc64]

Since my TS app will use the same test equipment to test many DUT types, I am wondering if I can store all of the sequences in a database rather than in many sequence files.  Can that be done?  If not, I suppose the best approach other than the standard is to make a database-driven sequence file that can call whatever steps are necessary for a given DUT.  What is the best approach?

[SachaE]

Hi,

  to allow for flexibility, most users I've spoken to about this take the approach of storing the step types and modules in a folder somewhere and then list their details in the database.

They then create an operator interface that interrogates the database and lists out either the step-type details themselves, or shortens the list to valid step types that can be used against the DUT (based on the normal sql "where" search criteria).

That way the sequences can be built on the fly. Watch for the license you have when taking this approach though, since if you make a full sequence editor, you legally need a developers license. If your operator interface is making sequences on the fly and running them, but not saving them anywhere, then that is in the grey area, and you need to talk to your local NI engineer to make sure everything is being used correctly.

Ultimately, the seqeunces are text if they're TS 3.5 and before or with the TS 4.0 ini file style, or they're xml, or they're binary. Physically they could be locked away in a database, however you're going to need to get the detail out of the database, store it in a temporary file and then get TS to actually load it.

It you're using TS 4.0, it is possible to make your own interface so you could store all the details in the database is if say a table was a sequence (although that could cause some problems if you do archiving and compacting on the database!!)

Hope that helps

Sacha Emery
ATE Systems Engineer National Instruments UK & Ireland

Message Edited by SachaE on 11-15-2007 04:23 PM