Christine Staiger 
Raoul Schram
iBridges: Where data management meets data work
A compact introduction to YODA, iRODS, and iBridges. The morning sessions build the foundation for metadata-driven research data management. The afternoon sessions apply that foundation in small compute workflows powered by this meta(data) for search and analysis.
A clear path from organising research data to actually using it.
Welcome
Welcome to this full day course on iRODS and iBridges. This training is designed for researchers who are already or are starting to begin to work with research data management tools.
The morning session is for beginners and does not require any knowledge of scripting or programming. You will explore iRODS concepts through the iBridges graphical interface and the command line interface. During this session you will practice uploading and downloading files, working with metadata and searching for data.
The afternoon session is for participants who already know the basics of Python syntax. You will learn how to create workflows that interact with iRODS using the iBridges API. Together we will design a small compute workflow that finds input data by metadata, analyses this data and writes results back to iRODS with metadata linking input, workflow and output. All processing happens directly on iRODS as the storage system.
Before you start please take a look at the prerequisites.
We hope you enjoy the day and feel confident exploring iRODS and iBridges.
Course objectives
This course introduces researchers to the iBridges ecosystem and teaches iRODS concepts through practical use of iBridges tools. You will learn how iRODS organises data through data objects, collections and metadata, and how these concepts support structured and searchable research data.
After completing the course you will be able to
- work confidently with the iBridges GUI and CLI
- understand data objects, collections and metadata
- search for data using metadata
- use the iBridges API to automate common tasks
- design small workflows that operate entirely within iRODS
Timetable
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 9.30 to 10.00 | Coffee and installation trouble shooting |
| 10.00 to 10.15 | Introduction: What are iRODS and iBridges |
| 10.15 to 11.00 | The iBridges GUI |
| 11.00 to 11.15 | Coffee break |
| 11.15 to 12.00 | The iBridges CLI |
| 12.00 to 13.00 | Lunch break |
| 13.00 to 14.30 | The iBridges API: Basics (upload, download, metadata, search, permissions) |
| 14.30 to 14.45 | Coffee break |
| 14.45 to 16.00 | Putting it all together: the Workflow |
| 16.00 to 17.00 | Questions and Discussion |