Iterative and incremental development of the ATLAS Publication Tracking System

Abstract

The ATLAS experiment is a particle physics experiment situated at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. It involves almost 6000 members from approximately 300 institutes spread all over the globe and more than 100 papers published every year. This dynamic environment brings some challenges such as how to ensure publication deadlines, communication between the groups involved, and the continuity of workflows. The solution found for those challenges was automation, which was achieved through the Glance project, more specifically through the Glance Analysis systems, developed to support the analysis and publications life cycle in 2011. Now, after twelve years, in order to satisfy the experiments’ most recent needs, the systems need code refactoring and database remodelling. The goal is to have only one system to accommodate all the analysis and publications workflows, the so-called ATLAS Publication Tracking system, an evolution of the current Analysis systems. This project includes a database remodelling that reflects the hierarchical relation between analyses and publications; a code base that supports non-standard workflows; the expansion of the current API so all the authorized ATLAS members can access ATLAS publication data programmatically; a service-oriented architecture for integration with external software, such as GitLab; the creation of an automatic test environment, which assures the quality of the systems on each update. The ATLAS Publication Tracking system is a long-term project being developed with an iterative and incremental approach, which ensures that the most valuable tools are implemented with priority while allowing a smooth transition between the old systems and the new one.