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Summary

ClinSpark customers have available to them a live read-only copy of their production ClinSpark database called a Read Replica (RR).  This document will describe what a Read Replica is from a technical perspective.  It will provide descriptions of key aspects of the underlying Data Model so that technical users may better understand how the data is stored.  And it will explore various use cases for leveraging the Read Replica as well as some examples.

Note

Users that can access the RR can see everything including data items blinded in the User Interface, with the exception of Javascript Edit Checks and Methods (which are currently encrypted).

It is possible to implement different security for special database accounts, but that would require engineering work and cost and be non-standard.

Requesting a Read Replica

Any customer may request a Read Replica. This request should be made via a JIRA service desk ticket. In the ticket please specify the IP address which must be able to access this replica. Typically this is the IP address or range of the site where analysis will be done. The replicate will only be accessible from IP addresses specified in the ticket.

Info

Please note that a fee is associated with the provision and support for Read Replicas.

Read Replica Overview

All ClinSpark data is stored within a MySQL compatible relational database within the AWS Cloud.  The Master database is the production database for the ClinSpark instance.  This is where all data is written to and updated during the use of the ClinSpark application.  In addition to other live backup mechanisms for operational use, a special read-only copy of this production data can be made available to customers.  This database is a dedicated copy of the production database, solely for the purpose of customer usage.  It is not used by running ClinSpark instances in any way.  It is read-only, meaning that it does not accept writes, and it is not possible for any usage of this database to impact the Master database in any way.

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The database schema for the Read Replica is the same as the schema for ClinSpark itself. This schema evolves somewhat with each ClinSpark release.You can find the schema DDL for various ClinSpark releases elsewhere on this document (search for “Schema DDL”).

More information about the ClinSpark Data Model can be found here: Read Replica Data Model

Read Replica Use Cases

There are a wide variety of usage patterns for customer Read Replicas.  This is your customer data, so use it is expected to be used as your business needs require.  The following are a few common patterns presented as examples.

Integration to

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Existing Data Warehouse

Customers who have existing data warehouses or datamarts may choose to integrate ClinSpark data into these repositories.  Typically this involves the customer setting up an ELT job to periodically pull data from the replica into their warehouse. This is not something that Foundry Health IQVIA supports directly. However it is an expected use case.

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Crystal Reports or other similar products all can operate on MySQL databases.  As such they can connect to and use the Read Replica.  It is possible to create customer-specific reports using these tools.

Requesting a Read Replica

Any customer may request a Read Replica. This request should be made via a JIRA service desk ticket. In the ticket please specify the IP address which must be able to access this replica. Typically this is the IP address or range of the site where analysis will be done. The replicate will only be accessible from IP addresses specified in the ticket.

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