Instructions for Liaisons and Conveners#

This page provides guidance for Working Group liaisons and conveners who help manage the Analysis Productions system.

Instructions for Liaisons#

As a Working Group liaison, you play a key role in reviewing and approving production requests. Here’s what you should do:

  1. Review merge requests for your working group once assigned by the request author:

    • Check that the size of the output file doesn’t seem excessive.

    • Verify the analysis isn’t including too many variables in the ntuple.

    • Review the validation report that is automatically generated during CI:

      • Check for warnings about needlessly expensive configurations (large output sizes, excessive memory usage, memory leaks, etc.)

      • Make sensible suggestions to improve production performance where possible

      • Avoid approving productions that are unnecessarily expensive or have critical issues

      • The validation system flags issues with different severity levels (INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL)

      • Common issues checked include: duplicate processing, outdated application versions, large log sizes, memory problems, and configuration errors

    • Communicate guidance on good practices for productions (particularly Run 3).

    • Encourage people to share productions between analyses where practical.

    • Report issues - If you discover problems with the Analysis Productions system, validation checks, or CI pipeline, please report them to the Analysis Productions team so they can be addressed.

    • There is no need to be too strict - it’s more important that productions are submitted promptly, and that issues are quickly understood and resolved.

  2. Approve and merge!

    Note

    This requires appropriate permissions in the LbFence system, which are handled through appointments. WG conveners are responsible for ensuring liaisons have the necessary appointments (see the convener instructions below).

  3. Monitor CI pipeline completion

    When the CI pipeline finishes, ensure that an issue was automatically created here:

    • The title should be “Productions for WG: ANALYSIS”.

    • It will show up on the merge request as a linked issue, and the merge request will also be linked to that issue.

Instructions for Conveners#

Managing Liaison Appointments#

When appointing new liaisons or when liaison terms end, conveners must ensure the appointments are properly recorded in the LHCb system.

Important

Conveners must contact the LHCb Secretariat to manage DPA liaison appointments.

Keep communications simple and clear to avoid confusion. Use straightforward language and provide only the essential information listed below.

For new appointments:

  1. Contact the LHCb Secretariat

  2. Request to add a DPA liaison appointment in LbFence

  3. Provide the following information clearly and concisely:

    • Name of the liaison

    • Working Group

    • Start date of the appointment

    • End date of the appointment

For outgoing appointments:

  1. Contact the LHCb Secretariat

  2. Notify them of the outgoing appointment that is to be updated in LbFence

  3. Provide the following information clearly and concisely:

    • Name of the outgoing liaison

    • Working Group

    • End date of their term

Tip

It’s good practice to notify the Secretariat of both incoming and outgoing appointments in the same communication to ensure smooth transitions. Keep your email brief and to the point.

Best Practices#

  • Ensure your working group always has active liaisons

  • Plan liaison transitions well in advance

  • Communicate appointment changes to your working group

  • Keep the Analysis Productions team informed of any issues or concerns

  • Maintain continuity by having overlap periods between incoming and outgoing liaisons where possible