The BaBar Mini

TL;DR

The BaBar Mini is a compact, efficient event data format that consolidates detector information into a small, customizable package suitable for detailed analysis and replacing older formats.

Contribution

This paper introduces the BaBar Mini, a new flexible and efficient event data format that consolidates multiple formats into a single, small, and customizable structure.

Findings

Mini packs detector info into under 7 KB

Replaces three older formats as primary output

Supports detailed detector studies and analysis

Abstract

BaBar has recently deployed a new event data format referred to as the Mini. The Mini uses efficient packing and aggressive noise suppression to represent the average reconstructed BaBar event in under 7 KBytes. The Mini packs detector information into simple transient data objects, which are then aggregated into roughly 10 composite persistent objects per event. The Mini currently uses Objectivity persistence, and it is being ported to use Root persistence. The Mini contains enough information to support detailed detector studies, while remaining small and fast enough to be used directly in physics analysis. Mini output is customizable, allowing users to both truncate unnecessary content or add content, depending on their needs. The Mini has now replaced three older formats as the primary output of BaBar event reconstruction. A reduced form of the Mini will soon replace the physics analysis format as well, giving BaBar a single, flexible event data format covering all its needs.