Glossary of Terms
access-control list
A list of granted permissions and their grantees — that is, users and groups — assigned to a database object.
auxiliary data
Data that is referenced as input or output by a model in the COMSOL Desktop environment. The data may, for example, be a version-controlled model or data file in a Model Manager database or a file on the file system.
boolean field
The type for a field whose value is either true or false.
branch
A sequence of commits in a database, ordered chronologically by their commit date to form a commit history. A special commit is the most recent one on the branch, and the branch itself often acts as a representative of this commit. The most recent commit, and thus the branch itself, also identifies the latest versions of items.
New branches can be created by branching off from any commit on a parent branch, thereby starting an alternative commit history. Changes made on a new branch can be merged back to its parent branch.
built, computed, and plotted data
Generated simulation data that can be recreated from a model as needed. Includes built geometries and meshes, computed solutions, and plotted results.
commit
A set of related item changes that have been saved to a database. The changes may involve adding and updating items, assigning tags to items, and deleting items. The changes are saved to the database as a “unit” and, as such, can also be reverted as a unit.
Each commit is associated with a date and time when the changes were saved, that is the commit date, the user that saved the changes, and an optional save comment. Each commit also identifies the set of item versions that were the latest versions at the time of the commit, as well as all tag assignments present at that time. Given a particular commit, such item versions and tag assignments can be browsed and searched in the database.
content filter
A search filter on model content — that is, node properties, parameters, features, and other settings in the model tree of a model.
data file
A version-controlled file stored in a database that is neither a model or application file (mph) nor a physics file (mphphb). Typically abbreviated as just file in Model Manager. Examples include CAD data, interpolation functions, plots, and reports.
database configuration
The configuration values used to connect to a local database or a server database accessed via a Model Manager server.
date field
The type for a field whose value is a date and time.
draft model
An ancillary model meant for intermediate modeling work, and whose versions are saved as a separate version history split off from that of its origin model. Once a draft has been completed, it can be saved back as a new version of the main model it originated from.
everyone
A special group of users that all users automatically are members of. Can be used when assigning permissions to database objects.
file
A shorthand for a data file.
fileset
A file version consisting of multiple file resources that are version controlled as a collective whole in a database. This includes, for example, a CAD assembly with multiple external component files or an HTML report with image files.
file resource
Binary or text content belonging to a file version. A file version can contain any number of file resources.
item
A model, data file, or tag stored in a database.
item filter
A search filter on general item settings and metadata. This includes, for example, the time when the item version was saved, the user that saved the item version, and the item’s assigned tags.
item save type
Type distinguishing a regular model from a draft model.
item version type
Type distinguishing a model, application, physics, file, and fileset in a database.
group
A collection of users and other groups.
keyword field
The type for a field whose value is a string. Typically found for short, name-like search data such as filenames or node names.
local database
A database stored on the same computer as the COMSOL Multiphysics process runs on. Meant for single-user use.
(commit) location
A branch, commit, or snapshot in the database. Each location is either a commit in its own right or acts as a natural representation of a commit — the most recent commit for a branch and the referenced commit for a snapshot.
Browsing or searching items in a database is always done with respect to a fixed location. The encountered item versions are the ones that were the latest at the time of the commit. For a branch, which is the default location, these item versions are the latest at the present time.
(item version) location
An identifier that uniquely locates a model version or data file version stored in a Model Manager database.
merge
The operation of applying item changes made in one branch to another branch.
model
A COMSOL Multiphysics simulation model, application, or physics stored in a database.
negated match
Reverse the matching criterion of a filter.
numeric field
The type for a field whose value is a real or complex scalar.
origin model
A model that another model “originates” from — a concept arising, for example, when creating a new model from an existing model or when saving a new draft.
owner
The user that owns a database object. Such a user can set permission requirements for accessing the object.
permission template
A reusable template of permissions granted to users and groups.
phrase match
Require that search words match a sequence of words in a text.
regular model
The standard type for models saved to a database.
repository
A container for a collection of items and their versions in the database.
revert
The operation of undoing a set of changes made in a commit.
root administrator
A special account with a Model Manager server that always passes permission requirement checks.
selection field
The type for a field whose value belongs to a predetermined set of values.
server database
A database accessed via a Model Manager server. Meant for multiple-user use.
snapshot
A reference to a commit in a database. The item versions and tag assignments that were the latest at the time of the commit are recorded in the snapshot.
tag
Version-controlled metadata that can be assigned to models, data files, and even other tags. Useful for finding and organizing items in a database.
text field
The type for a field whose value is a text.
user
A user that has connected to a Model Manager database.
version
The result when creating, updating, or restoring an item in a database.
wildcard match
Use a placeholder in a search word that matches zero or more arbitrary characters.