Re: 19991013: Does NetCDF support record I/O?

Terry,

> To: <address@hidden>
> From: "Terry Westley" <address@hidden>
> Subject: Does NetCDF support record structures?
> Organization: Veridian Engineering
> Keywords: 199910131805.MAA19420

In the above message, you wrote:

> I am considering using NetCDF for recording and archiving
> data from a radar simulation.  We are moving away from an
> Oracle database to (possibly) NetCDF.  But, I'm having trouble
> mapping my conceptual understanding of data records in an
> Oracle table to NetCDF.  I think that I'd like to write
> record variables with time as an unlimited dimension.

In the netCDF package, a record variable is one whose outermost
dimension is the unlimited dimension.

> In Version 2.4 (Feb 1996) of the User's Guide and in
> the version 3.4 netcdf.h header file, I see references to
> "record variables" and functions for reading and writing
> them, but can't find anything in the User's Guide
> (Version 3, June 1997).  What is the status of this
> capability?
> 
> Or, is there some other way to read and write "records"
> to NetCDF files?

There is no explicit support in the netCDF 3.4 package for record I/O
-- instead, one must use as many netCDF 3 record variable I/O calls as
there are record variables.  One may still use, however, the netCDF
2 record I/O functions: ncrecput, ncrecget, and ncrecinq.  For more
information, please see the "What's Missing" section in appendix D of
the NetCDF User's Guide for C or following the following URL:

    
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/netcdf/guidec/guidec-20.html#MARKER-2-3517

> Terry J. Westley, Software Systems Engineering Supervisor
> Veridian Engineering, Calspan Operations
> P.O. Box 400, Buffalo, NY 14225
> address@hidden    http://www.veridian.com

--------
Steve Emmerson   <http://www.unidata.ucar.edu>