By Reza Pakdel, Product Owner-Geomodeling
In the first of a two-part blog, Reza explains how recent improvements to our drillhole database manager will improve workflows, speed up access times, and minimize time spent on projects.
Drillhole data is arguably a mine’s most important asset. Hexagon ensures you can keep this information organized, secure and usable with Torque, now part of the HxGN MinePlan Geology Foundation. Torque’s modern interface and flexibility make it easy to set up, use, and validate the data. User role permissions allow you to manage who has access to view or modify the data, keeping it auditable and secure.
However, a database shared among many users on a remote SQL Server had been problematic. The user had limited privilege on the server or was traveling without access to the database. Many users could be working on the project and changes to the database were immediate.
Besides these issues, our customers told us that a slow connection to the Torque database sometimes caused read and write operations to take a long time. With limited privileges on the server, the user could not backup and restore the database themselves. Instead, they would have to request the system admin to perform database-specific operations for them.
The user could not access the Torque data when they did not have an active connection, plus data changed daily. Creating statistics and reports on a specific project became difficult because results were inconsistent. There was no easy way to revert changes to the database unless there were regular backups.
Mindful of these issues, we utilized a new feature in SQL Server called LocalDB to empower Torque users with more control over and faster access to their database. Users can now check out a subset of the Torque database from the Master SQL Server. This subset is copied to their LocalDB, meaning they no longer require an active connection to the master database.
Locally, the user wields full rights to their SQL Server and does not require permission from their system administrator. Better yet, network issues do not affect the local Torque database read and write performance. The user is shielded from changes to the master database and can choose when and if they want to commit back the changes to their LocalDB or discard the changes.
These changes save mines money because they mean more efficient workflows, faster access times, fewer interruptions, and less time spent on projects.
Check-out a local copy of your master database to avoid connectivity issues, shield yourself from data changes, and obtain better access to and control over your data with the latest version of Torque, part of the HxGN MinePlan Geology Foundation package.
In Part 2, Reza explains how recent improvements to our drillhole database manager will remove the complexities of installing and configuring an SQL Server.