Chapter 8 The Sandbox

The CWD Data Warehouse Sandbox (https://test.cwd-data.org) is a “test environment” for the CWD Data Warehouse system. In general, the Sandbox can be thought of as a completely independent copy of the production Warehouse (https://cwd-data.org).

WARNING: All data in the Sandbox are assumed to be fake or mock data. Users should never treat data or products from the Sandbox as real and therefore should never draw real conclusions or make real decisions based on data or analysis of data in the Sandbox.

Note that the Sandbox has a different color scheme (orange) to alert the user that they are not operating in the production system.

An environment for testing new features The CWHL and DJ Case & Associates use the Sandbox for testing new features and system components prior to deployment to the production Warehouse. These features and components are still under development and may not function completely, properly, or as expected. Sandbox users should be aware that this may occasionally lead to unexpected results or errors.

An environment for users to explore the Warehouse The Sandbox also allows users to learn how to use the Warehouse or test features without affecting data in the production environment. This function can be useful for introducing the Warehouse to new users or testing new features. The Sandbox can also be useful for testing the API prior to implementing data pipelines to the production environment.

8.1 User Accounts

The user accounts in the Sandbox are completely independent of the user accounts in the production environment. User account passwords are also independent between the Sandbox and production environments.

Potential Providers: To request a Sandbox account, please contact a Provider Administrator for your agency or the CWD Data Warehouse System Administrator ().

8.1.1 Password reset

The Sandbox does not have an associated email service. No emails can be sent out from the Sandbox, including user account related emails, such as password reset requests. If you need your Sandbox account password reset, please contact your Provider Administrator or the CWD Data Warehouse System Administrator ().

8.2 Features and Functionality

The Sandbox environment is nearly identical to the production environment with several important exceptions as described in this documentation. Exceptions include:

  1. data are assumed to be fake and perishable;
  2. the Sandbox has a “mock data” generator which can be used for creating data for testing and learning purposes;
  3. system-generated emails cannot be sent (including password reset request responses and visualization-related emails);
  4. the Sandbox may have some newer features (in development) compared to the production environment.

8.2.1 Mock Data Generator

The Mock Data Generator was created to help users explore the features of the CWD Data Warehouse in an environment that would not negatively affect their real data. The Mock Data Generator allows a user to quickly create any volume of basic data (Samples, Cervid facilities, Processors, Demography metrics) with a wide variety of properties. The Mock Data Generator is available only to users with the Provider Administrator role in the Sandbox.

8.2.1.1 Generate Mock Data

To generate mock data, first select a Data Collection – either Sample, Cervid Facility, Processor, or Demography.

Basic properties In the Generate tab, choose the allowed values that will be assigned to the mock records. Some properties allow more than one value to be selected. If more than one value is selected, the selected values will be randomly assigned to the records generated. For instance, if a user chooses to create mock Sample data, and chooses both “Adult” and “Fawn” for the Age Group, the resulting records will be randomly assigned an Age Group value of Adult or Fawn.

Sub-administrative area In the Sub-administrative area portion of the Mock Data Generator, the number of records per sub-administrative area can be set in several ways:

  1. Manually set individual count values by sub-administrative area;
  2. Set a count and use the Populate values function to create that number of records for each sub-administrative area;
  3. Use the given filers to select a subset of sub-administrative areas, then use the Populate values function to set record counts for just the given sub-administrative areas. The sub-administrative areas to which the Populate values function is applied can be set by selecting a region, selecting individual counties, or by using the “Toggle Adjacent” button, which only selects counties that are spatially contiguous with the given county. After configuring the Mock Data Generator, the user must click the Generate Data button at the bottom of the dialog.

8.2.1.2 Generate More Mock Data

Using the Mock Data Generator to create records in the Sandbox only adds new records. It does not replace or delete existing data in the Sandbox, including data entered manually, via upload, via the API, or via the Mock Data Generator.

This feature allows the Mock Data Generator to be used to create complex Data Collections.

8.2.1.3 Delete Data

The Mock Data Generator also provides functionality for deleting data from the Sandbox. Under the Delete tab located under each Data Collection tab in the Mock Data Generator, the user can choose to delete Mock Data only, Non-mock data only (data not created through the Mock Data Generator), or both. The user can also set additional criteria to limit the data to be deleted.

The Delete function can be used to “wipe” the Sandbox, if needed.