XPAC databases

XPAC lets you create and store data in four types of databases:

Component

Description

Main database

The main database stores raw mining block data that XPAC uses when generating a schedule. This data is typically imported (for example, from TXT or CSV files), but can also be manually entered, if required.

Parameters database

The parameters database stores ancillary data required for the project. It minimises the need for spreadsheets that contain mining reserve parameters (such as washability data by seam, truck haul data by area, blast parameters by material type, and so on).

Calendar database

The calendar database stores schedule constraints that vary by time (such as equipment productivity, equipment fleet sizes, ore tonnage targets, equipment delays, and so on). You can access the information stored in the calendar from the schedule scenario setup.

Schedule scenario

The schedule scenario stores all the schedule data for the project, for example, resources (equipment), rosters, production rates, targets, etc.

Once a schedule scenario has been calculated, the results may be generated in an external file (for example, TXT, CSV) or they may be used to generate a results database within the XPAC project.

Results databases

The results database stores the results from a schedule. You can create schedule results automatically by using a schedule report writer.

You can also modify the results database using XCMs. You can then export the results to several file types such as CSV, TXT, etc.

Database components

The table below describes the components that make up each database in your project:

Component	Description
Levels	XPAC databases are hierarchical, which means that the database is arranged in a graded order. The order usually proceeds from the largest unit (e.g. pit), down to the smallest unit (e.g. seam or block), where each successive unit further divides the deposit. In XPAC these units are called levels. You define the names of the levels for your database and each database may have up to ten levels. Typically a database will have between three and five levels. For a Calendar or Results database, the levels are based on time periods. For example, the top level may be a year and the lowest level a week, with any further divisions required in between, such as half year, quarter, month, etc.
Records	Records are the building blocks of an XPAC database and they exist at all levels of the database. If there are four pits in your deposit, each one of these will be represented by a separate XPAC record. If the first pit contains six panels and the second pit contains eight panels, then each one of these fourteen panels will be represented by a separate XPAC record, and so on. There may be many thousands of records in a database. For a Calendar or Results database, the time periods are represented by records. For example, each year of a five year schedule would be a record. If the first year is further divided into quarters, then each quarter is a separate record.
Structure	Structure is the term used to describe the hierarchical arrangement of records at the various levels of a database. A database structure is made up of the levels which have been defined for the database and the records which are defined on each level. The structure of a database resembles that of a tree with many branches.
Data fields	For each record in a database, there are a fixed set of parameters for which information may be stored. These parameters are referred to as data fields. There is no limit to the number of data fields contained within each database, however each database only has one set of data fields. Typically a main or a results database would have hundreds of data fields, whereas a calendar database would have less than one hundred data fields.
Data field display	A data field display is a subset of the full listing of data fields in a database. You are able to set up many different displays, each one containing any combination or order of data fields that you require. A display may have its own formatting and can be saved and then reused at any time. The full listing of data fields for a database is itself a data field display which is called ALL.
Database ranges	A database range is a subset of the full database structure. You are able to set up many different ranges, each one containing different combinations of database records. A database range specifies particular records in the database, as well as the level. A range can be saved and then re-used at any time. The complete database structure is itself a range which is called ALL.