Figure 6.1 depicts the process of planning and creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network.
Figure6.1: Planning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network - workflow
The steps involved in planning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network are described below. The numbers refer to Figure 6.1.
1. Open an existing radio-planning document or create a new one (1).
- You can open an existing Atoll document by selecting File > Open.
- Creating a new a new Atoll document is explained in Starting an Atoll Project.
2. Configure the network by adding network elements and changing parameters (2).
You can add and modify the following elements of base stations:
- "Creating or Modifying a Site"
- "Creating or Modifying a Transmitter"
- "Applying a New Cell Type".
You can also add base stations using a base station template (see "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template").
3. Carry out basic coverage predictions (3)
- "Making a Point Analysis to Study the Profile"
- "Studying Signal Level Coverage" and "Signal Level Coverage Predictions"
4. Allocate neighbours, automatically or manually (4).
- "Planning Neighbours".
5. Estimate the required number of TRXs (5) in one of the following ways:
- You can import or create traffic maps (5a) and use them as a basis for dimensioning 5b) (see "Studying Network Capacity").
- You can define them manually either on the TRXs tab of each transmitter’s Properties dialogue or in the Subcells table (see "Modifying a Subcell") (5c).
6. Once you have the required number of TRXs, manually or automatically create a frequency plan (6).
- "Allocating Frequencies and BSICs Manually"
- "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs".
7. With the frequency plan, make GSM/GPRS/EDGE-specific coverage predictions (7).
- "Analysing Network Quality".
8. Analyse the frequency plan (8).
- "Auditing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Frequency Plan"
- "Checking Consistency Between Transmitters and Subcells"
Archiving the Modifications of an Atoll Document in the Database
When you are working on an Atoll document that is attached to a database, you should from time to time archive the modifications you have made to the data on the database. How frequently you should archive your document depends on several factors: the amount and size of changes you make, the number of other users using the database who may benefit from your modifications, etc. What you can archive depends on the user rights the database administrator has given to you. For example, you can have read access to the antennas table, allowing you to create a new Atoll document with the given antennas. However, because only the administrator can modify the properties of the antennas, you will not be able to archive any changes you make to the antennas without write access to the table.
The Atoll archiving process is flexible. You can archive all your modifications or only the site-related modifications. As well, when you are archiving, Atoll shows you all modifications that will be archived and, if you wish, you can archive only some of them or even undo modifications you have made locally. Occasionally, other users might have modified some of the same data and, when you archive your changes, Atoll will inform you of the possible conflicts and help you resolve them.
In this section, the following are explained:
• "Archiving All Modifications in the Database"
Archiving All Modifications in the Database
To archive all your modifications in the database:
1. Select File > Database > Archive to the Database. The Archive dialogue appears (see Figure 2.13).
2. In the Archive dialogue, you can do the following:
- Click Run All to archive all your changes to the database.
- Select one item under Pending Changes and click Run to archive the selected modification to the database
- Select one item under Pending Changes and click Differences to view the differences between the local item and the item on the database.
- Select one item under Pending Changes and click Undo to refresh the modification with the original data from the database.
Figure2.13: The Archive dialogue
3. If some of the data has been modified on the database since you last refreshed, Atoll stops the archiving process and asks you to resolve the conflict. For information on managing conflicts.
4. When you are finished archiving, click Close.
• "Archiving Only Site-Related Data in the Database"
Archiving Only Site-Related Data in the Database
Archiving Only Site-Related Data in the Database
Atoll allows you to archive only site-related data if you wish. Which data is archived depends on the radio technology you are working with. For example, in a UMTS HSPA radio planning project, the site-related data are: sites, transmitters, cells, and neighbours.
To archive only the site-related data in the database:
1. Select File > Database > Archive to the Database. The Archive dialogue appears.
2. In the Archive dialogue, you can do the following:
- Click Run All to archive all your changes to the database.
- Select one item under Pending Changes and click Run to archive the selected modification to the database
- Select one item under Pending Changes and click Differences to view the differences between the local item and the item on the database.
- Select one item under Pending Changes and click Undo to refresh the modification with the original data from the database.
3. If some of the data has been modified on the database since you last refreshed, Atoll stops the archiving process and asks you to resolve the conflict. For information on managing conflicts.
4. When you are finished archiving, click Close.
• "Resolving Data Conflicts".
Resolving Data Conflicts
Resolving Data Conflicts
Atoll enables several users to use the same database by allowing user to load the data and then freeing the database for other users. However, this also creates the possibility of two users modifying the same data. When the second user attempts to archive his changes, Atoll warns him that the data have been changed since he last refreshed the data and that there is a conflict.
Atoll allows you to resolve data conflicts. When Atoll finds a conflict, it displays the warning shown in Figure 2.14.
Figure2.14: Conflict warning
You have three options:
• Ignore: If you click Ignore, Atoll ignores items causing conflicts in the table being archived, archives all other modifications in the table, and continues with the next table. You can resolve the conflicts after the archiving process has ended. However, if conflicts are found in other tables, Atoll will warn you with the Database Transfer Error dialogue again.
• Ignore All: If you click Ignore All, Atoll ignores all items causing conflicts in all tables being archived, and archives all other modifications. You can resolve the conflicts after the archiving process has ended.
• Abort: If you click Abort, the archiving process stops. You can attempt to resolve conflicts before restarting the archiving process.
Whether you abort the archive process to resolve the conflict immediately, or wait until the end of the archive process, the procedure to resolve the conflict is the same.
To resolve data conflicts one by one:
1. In the Pending Changes pane of the Archive dialogue, select the conflict you want to resolve and click Resolve. There are two different types of data conflicts:
- On a modified record: You are in the process of archiving your modifications on the database and another user has modified the same data since you last archived or refreshed your data. A conflict is caused only by differences in the same field of the same record between the database and the current Atoll document.
The Conflict in Changes dialogue appears, with the fields in conflict highlighted (see Figure 2.15). In the Conflict in Changes dialogue, you can see the value of the field in the database in the Database values column, as well as the value of the same field in your document in the Current values column.
Figure2.15: The Conflict in Changes dialogue
- If you want to overwrite the database value with the value of the same field in your document, select the check box next to the highlighted change and click Archive. Your modification will be written to the database, overwriting the value there.
- If you want to accept the value of the field in the database, clear the check box next to the highlighted change and click Archive. Your modification will be lost and the value in the database will remain unchanged.
- On a deleted record: You are in the process of archiving your modifications on the database and another user has deleted a record since you last archived or refreshed your data. For information, see "Resolving Data Conflicts".
Atoll displays a message explaining that the record you are trying to update has been deleted from the database (see Figure 2.16). Select one of the following:
Figure2.16: Conflict on a deleted record
- Yes: Select Yes to store your modifications in the database, thereby recreating the deleted record.
- No: Select No to abandon your modifications to this record and delete this record from your document.
- Cancel: Select Cancel to cancel.
2. Click Close to close the Archive dialogue.
To resolve all the data conflicts:
1. In the Pending Changes pane of the Archive dialogue, select any conflict and click Resolve All. Atoll displays a message explaining how Resolve All works (see Figure 2.17). Select one of the following:
Figure2.17: Resolving all the data conflicts simultaneously
- Yes: Select Yes to accept all the modifications made by other users in the database and update your document with values from the database.
- No: Select No to overwrite the modifications made by other users in the database with the values from your document.
- Cancel: Select Cancel to cancel.
2. Click Close to close the Archive dialogue.
Important: You should only resolve all the data conflicts when you are certain about the modifications.
When you create a new document from a database, you must connect to the database. Once connected, Atoll loads the database into a new Atoll document. Then the connected is interrupted. A new connection with the database will be created only when necessary, in order to allow other users access to the database.
The exact procedure of connecting with the database differs from one database to another. Atoll can work with the following databases:
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Oracle
• Sybase
• Microsoft Data Link files
The following sections give examples of connecting to two different databases and loading data:
•"Connecting to an MS Access Database"
Connecting to an MS Access Database
To create a new document from an MS Access database:
1. Select File > New > From an Existing Database. The Open from a Database dialogue appears.
2. In the Files of type list, select "Microsoft Access" as the type of database:
3. Select the name of the database and click OK. The Data to Load dialogue appears, allowing you to select the data to load into Atoll as a new document.
• "Connecting to an Oracle Database".
Connecting to an Oracle Database
Connecting to an Oracle Database
To create a new document from an Oracle database:
1. Select File > New > From an Existing Database. The Open from a Database dialogue appears.
2. In the Files of type list, select "Oracle" as the type of database:
3. In the dialogue that appears, enter your User Name, Password, and Server (as defined in the tnsnames.ora file).
Figure2.7: Connecting to an Oracle database
Note: Additional dialogues may open asking you to choose which project in the database to load or which site list to load.
4. Click OK. The Data to Load dialogue appears, allowing you to select the data to load into Atoll as a new document.
• "Selecting the Data to Load From the Database".
Selecting the Data to Load From the Database
Selecting the Data to Load From the Database
When you create a new document from a database, you can select the data to be loaded from the database to create the document in the Data to load dialogue. You can select which Project, Site List, Custom Fields Groups, and Neighbour to load. If you load the intra-technology or the inter-technology neighbour list, Atoll will also load the associated exceptional pairs table.
Figure2.8: Selecting the data to load
An example of a new Atoll document created from a database is shown in:
• "Working With a Document on a Database"
Working With a Document on a Database
Working With a Document on a Database
Figure 2.9 shows a new Atoll document based created from a database. The Data tab of the Explorer window now has a folder structure suitable for a UMTS radio-planning project. The Sites folder is expanded to show that a document created from a database can have additional data, such as sites, unlike a document created from a template. These can be modified or replaced. Figure 2.10 and Figure 2.11 show the contents of the Geo and Modules tabs of the new document, respectively.
Figure2.9: New Atoll document opened from a database
Note: The new document may open with no site displayed in the map window. This is because the north-west point of the project is by default the axis origin. You can re-centre the document on the data displayed in the Data tab by expanding the Sites folder, right-clicking on any site, and selecting Centre in the map window from the context menu.
Figure2.10: New Atoll document — Geo tab
Figure2.11: New Atoll document — Modules tab
When you create an Atoll document from a database, you can view the characteristics of the database connection.
To view the characteristics of the database connection:
1. Select File > Database > Connection Properties. The Database Connection dialogue appears (see Figure 2.12).
2. You can now:
- Disconnect your document from the database.
Caution: If you disconnect your document from the database, it will be become a stand-alone document and you will not be able to reconnect it to the database.
In Atoll, you define the two coordinate systems for each Atoll document: the projection coordinate system and the display coordinate system. By default, the same coordinate system is used for both.
A projection is a method for producing all or part of a round body on a flat sheet. This projection cannot be done without distortion, thus the cartographer must choose the characteristic (distance, direction, scale, area or shape) which is to be shown appropriately at the expense of the other characteristics, or he must compromise on several characteristics1. The projected zones are referenced using cartographic coordinates (meter, yard, etc.).
Two projection systems are widely used:
•The Lambert Conformal-Conic projection: a portion of the earth is mathematically projected on a cone conceptually secant at one or two standard parallels. This projection type is useful for representing countries or regions that lay primarily east to west.
•The Universal Transverse Mercator projection (UTM): a portion of the earth is mathematically projected on a cylinder tangent to a meridian (which is transverse or crosswise to the equator). This projection type is useful for mapping large areas that are oriented north-south.
A geographic system is not a projection, but a representation of a location on the earth's surface from geographic coordinates (degree-minute-second or grade) giving the latitude and longitude in relation to the origin meridian (Paris for NTF system and Greenwich for ED50 system). The locations in the geographic system can be converted into other projections.
Atoll has databases including more than 980 international coordinate system references, a database based on the European Petroleum Survey Group and another one regrouping only France's coordinate systems. Atoll distinguishes the cartographic coordinate systems for projection and either cartographic or geographic coordinate systems for display.
The maps displayed in the workspace are referenced with the same projection system as the imported geographic data files; thus, the projection system depends on the imported geographic file. By choosing a specific display system, you can see (using the rulers or status bars) the location of sites on the map in a coordinate system different from the projection coordinate system. You can also position on the map sites referenced in the display system: the coordinates are automatically converted from the projection system to the display system and the site is displayed on the map.
In Figure 2.5, the French Riviera geographic data file has been imported. The map shows the French Riviera projected using the cartographic NTF (Paris)/France II étendue system (coordinates in metres). On the other hand, site coordinates are stated in the geographic WGS 72 system (coordinates in degrees-minutes-seconds).
Figure2.5: NTF (Paris)/France II étendue system used with WGS 72 system
1. Select File > New > From a Document Template. The Project Templates dialogue appears.
2. Select the template on which you want to base your document and click OK. Atoll creates a new document based on the template selected.
Figure 2.1 shows a new Atoll document based on the UMTS HSPA HSPA template. The Data tab of the Explorer window now has a folder structure suitable for a UMTS HSPA HSPA radio-planning project, with, among other UMTSUMTS-specific elements, folders for UMTS HSPA HSPA parameters and UMTS HSPA HSPA simulations. The Antennas folder is expanded to show the UMTSUMTS-compatible antennas suggested by Atoll. These can be modified or replaced. Figure 2.2 and Figure 2.3 show the contents of the Geo and Modules tabs of the new document, respectively.
Figure2.1: New Atoll document based on a template
Figure2.2: New Atoll document — Geo tab
Figure2.3: New Atoll document — Modules tab
When you create an Atoll document from a template, the document is not connected to a database.
To verify whether the document is connected to a database:
• Select File > Database > Connection Properties. The dialogue in Figure 2.4 appears.
Figure2.4: An Atoll document based on a template is not connected to a database
