Design and implementation of the ITPA confinement profile database

One key goal of the fusion program is to improve the accuracy of physics models in describing existing experiments, so as to make better predictions of the performance of future fusion devices. To support this goal, databases of experimental results from multiple machines have been assembled to facilitate the testing of physics models over a wide range of operating conditions and plasma parameters. One such database was the International Multi-Tokamak Profile Database. This database has more recently been substantially revamped to exploit newer technologies, and is now known as the ITPA confinement profile database http://www.tokamak-profiledb.ukaea.org.uk. The overall design of the updated system will be outlined and the implementation of the relational database part will be described in detail.