Instrument assembly, documentation and release

1
Instrument assembly, documentation and release

• Fred Wensing
• Australian Bureau of Statistics
• Presented by Michael Cross

2
Session Outline

• Introduction
• Standards
• Version Control
• Templates
• Assembly
• Packaging
• Conclusion

3
Introduction

• History
• All ABS population surveys use Blaise
• Why
• Collection of files for an instrument
• Needs to be kept together
• How
• Set of standards and utilities

4
Standards

• Single network location
• Agreed folder structure
• Protected files
• Instrument design guidelines

5
Version Control

• Instruments
• Uses Blaise Project Definition file
• Can be accessed from the compiled instrument or
  metadata
• Modules
• Uses Blaise source code comments
• Generalised format
• Used by reporting system

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Version comment format

• ltVersiongt ltdd/mm/yyyygt ltPersongt ltChangegt

• 
  
• Module Name MPHS04FIN.BLA
• Author Fred Wensing
• Update History
• Vsn dd/mm/yyyy Person Change
• ---- ---------- ------ ------
• 2.05 26/05/2004 Halls - Add derivation for
  HoursMainJob
• - Deleted edits WTW1,
  WNM1 and WNM3
• 2.13 21/06/2004 doylsu - changed 'includes' to
  point to COMMON
• 2.14 23/06/2004 doylsu - released with v1.063
  using August MPS
• 
  

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Templates

• Have a number of core instruments
• Use of tags allows
• Instruments to be automatically updated
• Supplementary surveys to be included without
  changes
• More flexible than Blaise INCLUDE

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Single line tag

• gtgtgt lttagnamegt

• ...
• USES
• SurveyMeta
• gtgtgt META1 'LFS211'
• DATAMODEL mList
• Fields
• xPSU STRING5
• ...

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Single line tag

• gtgtgt lttagnamegt

• ...
• USES
• SurveyMeta
• gtgtgt META1 'LFS403'
• DATAMODEL mList
• Fields
• xPSU STRING5
• ...

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Code segment tag

• gtgtgt INCLUDE ltinclnamegt

• gtgtgt START ltinclnamegt ltcodegtgtgtgt END
  ltinclnamegt

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Code segment tag

• xNum2 TNum99
• xChar1 TString1
• gtgtgt INCLUDE SuppFields ltltlt
• AUXFIELDS
• aName, aNamePoss, aIsAreLC, aIsAreUC,
  aHasHaveLC, aHasHaveUC,
• aWasWereLC, aWasWereUC, aDoesDoLC,
  aDoesDoUC, aVerbEnd STRING

• xNum2 TNum99
• xChar1 TString1
• gtgtgt START SuppFields ltltlt v3.14 04/04/2004
• INCLUDE "INCLUDE\Usualwork.bla"
• FIELDS
• Usualwork BUsualwork
• gtgtgt ENDOF SuppFields ltltlt
• AUXFIELDS
• aName, aNamePoss, aIsAreLC, aIsAreUC,
  aHasHaveLC, aHasHaveUC,
• aWasWereLC, aWasWereUC, aDoesDoLC,
  aDoesDoUC, aVerbEnd STRING

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Assembly

• Automates assembly of templates and tag values
  into a compiled instrument
• Simple Maniplus interface to manage
• Templates
• Tag set definitions
• Generation of operation program
• Extraction of includes from an existing program

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The main interface
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Tag set definitions
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Usage

• Program generation
• Generate a program from a Template
• Extract included code from a program
• Modes
• Interface
• Scripted call

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Packaging

• Ensure all required elements are included in a
  release
• Release version matches Source version
• Creates Zip archive file of Program and Source
• Can report on
• Common modules used
• Local module details and edits

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The main interface
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Conclusion

• The system ensures
• Reliable and easy instrument package production
• Integrated version control
• But relies upon
• Good user practices
• Facilitated by
• Simple utilities

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Thanks

• www.abs.gov.au
• fred.wensing_at_abs.gov.au
• michael.cross_at_abs.gov.au

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Introduction

• Survey Instruments
• Consist of a package of compiled files
• Need to contain all required elements
• ABS Solution
• Use a partially automated system to manage
• Assembly
• Packaging
• Release

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Code segment tag

• gtgtgt INCLUDE ltinclnamegt

• xNum2 TNum99
• xChar1 TString1
• gtgtgt INCLUDE SuppFields ltltlt
• AUXFIELDS
• aName, aNamePoss, aIsAreLC, aIsAreUC,
  aHasHaveLC, aHasHaveUC,
• aWasWereLC, aWasWereUC, aDoesDoLC,
  aDoesDoUC, aVerbEnd STRING

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Code segment tag

• gtgtgt START ltinclnamegt
• gtgtgt END ltinclnamegt

• xNum2 TNum99
• xChar1 TString1
• gtgtgt START SuppFields ltltlt v3.14 04/04/2004
• INCLUDE "INCLUDE\Usualwork.bla"
• FIELDS
• Usualwork BUsualwork
• gtgtgt ENDOF SuppFields ltltlt
• AUXFIELDS
• aName, aNamePoss, aIsAreLC, aIsAreUC,
  aHasHaveLC, aHasHaveUC,
• aWasWereLC, aWasWereUC, aDoesDoLC,
  aDoesDoUC, aVerbEnd STRING