Storing DicomRT elements in DICOMImages table

    Hi


    We recently installed ConQuest as a DicomRT mysql-based server (no previous experience). We are working to develop a mysql++ based in-house software supposed to read Conquest's databse, so we are trying to configure the server for our particular purpose. Unfortunately, we encountered 2 problems, for which we would be grateful for some help.


    1. I would like to add some DicomRT-specific elements into the DICOMImages table; according to the documentation this seems possible by editing dicom.sql. So I added the following:


    {0x300A, 0x0002, "RTPlanLabel", 64, SQL_C_CHAR, DT_STR},


    Unfortunately, it seems that the DB field is set to NULL after refreshing (using mysql command line to look at it), while the label obviosly exists and it is shown correctly by the 'Show Header' facility within Conquest GUI (by the way, all DicomRT IODs are imported correctly).
    The same happened with other attempts, like plan's date and time, structure set's label, date and time.


    2. My understanding is that we can also edit in dicom.sql the names of the fields. Doing that, I noticed that the mysql database is created correctly, using the edited field names, and has correct values, but the GUI becomes confused and displays an (mysql!)error. Obviously, although we want to read directly the database, we would like the GUI to be functional as well.
    The reason I'm editing them is to give them a 'reasonable' name within 10 characters, i.e. instead SOPInstanc to have SOPInstUID, or instead NumberOfFr to have NumFrames, etc.
    These names are used in our program via SSQLS feature, so the structures should have meaningful member names for maintenance, clarity, etc.


    Many thanks for your time.


    Virgiliu

    Hi,


    1) There should be no issue, except that new items should appear after the first colums { 0x0008, 0x0018, "SOPInstanceUID", 64, SQL_C_CHAR, DT_UI }, and before the last column, which is: { 0x0020, 0x000e, "SeriesInstanceUID", 64, SQL_C_CHAR, DT_UI } for the image table - these may never be changed. I recently added many items for a CT dose study and encountered no issues. However, the items you add may not be in sequences (300a,0002 in not, but many RT items are),


    2) I am sorry, but you cannot change the name of many existing fields, and particularly not the primary keys, as they are hardcoded into the GUI and the server core. In principle full names could be used by editing TruncateFieldNames = 10 in dicom.ini, but I am afraid that especially the GUI will choke on this.


    Marcel

    Thanks for your prompt answer.


    For issue 1: It seems that the problem resides in using capital letters in the (group, element) HEX numbers in dicom.sql. Once I changed them in small letters, it worked, all the values apperaing in the fields (instead of NULLs) (although the dgate.dic HEXes are written with capitals).


    Virgiliu

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