A Git-based Conditions Database backend for LHCb

Abstract

LHCb has been using the CERN/IT developed Conditions Database library COOL for several years, during LHC Run 1 and Run 2. With the opportunity window of the second long shutdown of LHC, in preparation for Run 3 and the upgraded LHCb detector, we decided to investigate alternatives to COOL as Conditions Database backend. In particular, given our conditions and detector description data model, we investigated the possibility of reusing the internal Git repository database as a conditions storage, and we adopted it since 2017 data taking. The adoption of Git gave us improved performance, smaller storage size and simplified maintenance and deployment. In this paper we describe the implementation of our Git Conditions Database and the way it simplified our detector description and conditions development workflow.