Cloud databases are available to users who have an Autodesk subscription to ICM.
Cloud databases let you enjoy the benefits of cloud-based SaaS deployment when using the main features of ICM. If you are familiar with working with on-premise databases in InfoWorks ICM, you may notice that there are some differences when you work with a cloud one.
This topic highlights what is new or different between working with cloud databases and on-premise ones, and what is no longer relevant. Also, because cloud databases are new and are still being fully developed, some aspects of ICM's functionality is currently unavailable.
Using InfoWorks ICM with Cloud databases
To access cloud databases and run cloud simulations, cloud facilities must have been setup. See Getting started with the cloud for further information.
When you start InfoWorks ICM for the first time, the Autodesk Let's Get Started dialog appears. After you have successfully logged in using your credentials, the workspace is displayed.
Use the workspace to add a cloud or on-premise database, and to create networks and models in the usual way. If you are a new user, see Getting Started for further information.
Changes in behaviour
The main changes in behaviour between on-premise and cloud databases are highlighted in the following sections.
Cloud databases
Unlike on-premise databases, which are stored on your PC or a server, cloud databases are stored in a cloud data store for the hub you are working in. Hubs are normally created by a System Administrator or someone with Admin privileges. See Create Hub and Activate Subscription for details.
Cloud database management
Cloud databases and runs can be managed using the dedicated
Info360 Model Management web portal, which you can access using the
Cloud database management option in the File
Database management menu in
ICM.
You can use the portal to rename a cloud database, and if you have admin privileges, you can also backup and restore, and delete and recover, data.
Details about runs and simulations can also be viewed from the portal. And if you have admin privileges, you can also cancel all simulations or selected simulations in a run that is currently running in the cloud. This can be useful, for example, if it is not possible to cancel a cloud simulation using the Job Control or Job Progress windows in ICM.
Copying data
Data from cloud databases can be copied to other cloud databases, but not currently to on-premise databases. You can use a transportable database (see below) to copy data between on-premise and cloud databases.
A table that shows the copy options between the different types of databases is included in Copying Data Between Databases.
Copying simulation results
Stimulations results from a run in a cloud database, whose full results have been downloaded, can be copied to a transportable database version 2024.5 or newer, and then copied from the transportable to an on-premise database.
If you copy simulations with either summary or no results downloaded and paste them into a 2024.5 or newer transportable, a Copying of Simulation Results from Cloud Database dialog is displayed. It lists all the simulations without full results, and provides the option to cancel the operation (so you can download full results) or continue without copying the results for those simulations.
Cloud simulation results cannot be pasted to a transportable with a database version that is earlier than 2024.5. The Copy simulation results box is disabled in the Copying of Simulation Results, Ground Models and Time Series Data dialog when you try to do so.
) will be displayed under applicable runs in the
Explorer Window. To view the result for a simulation included in that run, you must re-run it:
- Open the run and click Re-run simulations in the InfoWorks or SWMM Schedule Hydraulic Run view.
- Select Re-run simulation from the popup menu in the Results Management view.
Copying Time Series Data objects
TSD objects cannot currently be copied from a cloud database to another cloud database, an on-premise database or transportable database. Therefore, the Copy time series data options are disabled in the Copying of Simulation Results, Ground Models and Time Series Data dialog when copying TSD objects from a cloud database.
Pasting items duplicated in the Recycle bin
When copying data from a different database into a cloud database, and an item with the same GUID already exists in the cloud database's Recycle bin, the Copying of Duplicate Items dialog is not displayed. The pasted item is automatically assigned a new GUID and will appear in the Explorer window without an ! appended to its name. Any items being copied at the same time that refer to this item will reference it rather than the duplicate item in the Recycle bin.
Transportable database
A transportable database can be used to copy data between an on-premise database and a cloud database or between a cloud database and an on-premise one.
See Copying simulation results above for information about using a transportable database to copy simulation results data between a cloud and an on-premise database.
Only network data and supported cloud database items can be pasted from a transportable containing on-premise data into a cloud database. Any database items (see below) that are not available in cloud databases will not be pasted even if the copied database contains them.
User permissions
Although it is still possible to set user permissions, they are not currently implemented for cloud databases. Therefore all users will have unrestricted access to all cloud databases in a hub that they have access to.
Database items
All InfoWorks and SWMM network objects that are available in on-premise databases are also available in cloud databases.
However, the following database items are not currently supported in cloud databases:
- Asset groups
- PDM Calibration (InfoWorks networks only)
Differences
The main differences between database items for cloud databases and on-premise databases are summarised below:
- Branch networks. For on-premise databases, you can view the commit history of both a branch and parent network. However, as the commit history is stored differently in the cloud, you will only be able to view the history of the branch network (not the parent one) for a cloud database.
- Commit history comments are editable in the Commit Details dialog for an on-premise database but are read-only for a cloud database.
- In
on-premise databases, when a
Model Group contains only one type of object, the
Model Group icon is modified slightly to reflect that single contained type. This modification does not occur in
cloud databases and all
Model Group icons are displayed using the unmodified icon (
). For example, the icon for a
Model Group that contains only layer lists in an
on-premise database will be displayed as
in the
Explorer window, however the icon for a layer list group in a
cloud database will be displayed as
.
- Three new
simulation status icons -
(simulation successfully completed),
(simulation completed but with warnings), and
(incomplete simulation) - are available for a
run in a
cloud database, and indicate that results are available on the cloud. When you
open a simulation with one of these statuses, a message will be displayed, allowing you to choose whether or not to
download results from the cloud to your local results folder.
- When cloud database items, other than simulation results, are deleted, they are sent to the recycle bin where they will remain for 30 days unless they are restored from the bin. After 30 days, the cloud database items are automatically deleted permanently from the bin. See the Recycle Bin for details.
- The Delete results option, for on-premise simulations in the popup, context menu in the Explorer window, is replaced by a Delete local results option. And two new options - Delete all local results and Delete local non-summary results option - have been added for cloud simulations. All three options permanently delete the applicable simulation results stored in your local results folder, however, for cloud simulations, full results are still available in the cloud.
- TSD objects:
- The Delete unused time series data option is not available for TSD objects in cloud databases.
- When you open a historical view of a TSD object in a cloud database and the number of versions exceeds 10,000, a message is displayed warning you that it may take some to retrieve version information, and gives you the option to cancel opening the view.
- Risk analysis runs for cloud databases are run on-premise on your computer. They are not run in the cloud.
- Runs (see following section).
InfoWorks or SWMM Runs
Any database items, which are excluded from cloud simulations for an InfoWorks or SWMM run, are listed in the applicable sections above.
Simulation jobs for InfoWorks or SWMM runs in cloud databases are run in the cloud. They are not run on your PC or via an agent group.
Schedule hydraulic run view
As synchronised and overlapped simulations are not currently supported for cloud databases, the Start running from state time option has been removed from the Schedule Hydraulic Run View for a InfoWorks Run.
For 2D simulations, that is, a simulation which contains at least one 2D Zone, you can choose if you want the 2D calculations to be processed by a GPU instance in the cloud. Doing so will significantly improve the performance of cloud simulations. Like the GPU card selection for on-premise 2D simulations, the GPU instance selection is set in the GPU tab of the 2D Parameters Dialog (InfoWorks) or 2D Parameters Dialog (SWMM).
Monthly quota for cloud simulations
A monthly quota for cloud simulation usage is assigned to each user. When you run simulations, InfoWorks ICM checks the monthly balance to see whether or not your quota is exceeded.
When you are within the quota, all simulation jobs are uploaded and processed concurrently (in parallel) in the cloud. If you exceed your quota, simulations jobs can still be run in the cloud, but in sequence. This means that each job will be held in queue on the local job agent and will only be uploaded to and processed in the cloud when the previous job is complete.
To provide an indication of your usage, you will receive an email notification when you reach 50%, 80% and 100% of your monthly quota.
See Cloud Simulation Usage for details.
Cloud Simulation Quota dialog
This dialog provides information about the implications of monthly quotas for cloud simulation usage, and is displayed when you run or re-run a simulation for a cloud database. It contains a Do not show this dialog again box which, if checked (default), ensures that it won't be displayed again in the version of the software you are currently using.
Download Cloud Results dialog
A Download Cloud Results dialog is displayed when you either run or re-run a simulation for a network in a cloud database or when you choose to download results for any simulation that does not have any results available locally. It lets you choose if you want full results (summary and time-varying), summary results, or no results to be automatically downloaded to your local results folder. Regardless of what option you choose, full results will be available in the cloud, allowing you, or others, to download them whenever it is convenient to do so.
Schedule Job(s) dialog
As mesh and Risk analysis run jobs for a cloud database are not run in the cloud, the Schedule Job(s) dialog is used to select whether to start the jobs now or at a later time, or for mesh jobs, to choose which computer or agent group the job will be run on. The Store results and the Multi-threading limits are not relevant for cloud databases, and have therefore been disabled.
Job progress window
As
cloud simulations are intended to run immediately, the Continue (
), Pause (
), Step (
) and Change duration (
) toolbar buttons in the
Job Progress window are disabled.
Job control window
As
cloud simulations are intended to run immediately, the Reschedule (
), Run immediately on this computer (
), and the four 'move position of job in queue' (
,
,
,
) toolbar buttons are redundant and have therefore been disabled in the
Job Control window for
cloud simulations.
Four additional cloud simulations statuses are shown in the Job Control window - Waiting (Cloud), Started (Cloud), Waiting (compute restricted) and Disconnected from cloud services - retrying.
And a new type of job - Download from cloud - is displayed in the Job Type column when you choose to download results for a simulation that does not have any results available locally.
Results
Downloading results
Simulation results that are not available locally can be downloaded, if available, from the cloud. This allows users, who have access to the same database, to share results without the need to run the simulation themselves. It also allows results that may have been deleted from a local results folder to be re-instated.
Results can be downloaded from the Results management view and the Explorer window.
Results management
Simulation results are either stored locally or on the cloud, therefore the Location column in the Results Management view will display either 'Local Machine' or 'Cloud' to indicate where the results are stored. A Log file is only available for a simulation result that is stored on your 'Local Machine', and the Size of the result file will also only be included for a locally stored result file.
The Results Management menu options - Delete time-varying results files and Move results files to server - are not applicable for cloud simulations, and are therefore disabled in the popup grid menu for cloud simulations.
The simulation status icon for the remaining object is displayed with a faded colour, indicating that results are still available for download from the cloud.
The Re-run simulation option can only be used for a cloud simulation whose Status is 'Failed' or 'Unknown'.
Text reports
If you are viewing a log report of a simulation whose results have been downloaded from the cloud, then the 'Proxy Engine Log' section of the downloaded report will contain less information than a locally stored one that was generated by the simulation. This is because the progress of the download is being reported and not the progress of a simulation.
The date and time on the "Start of run" record in a PRN results text report is displayed in ISO 8601 format and includes the time zone offset from UTC. However, cloud simulations report using UTC rather than local time.
Exporting results
When using the Export maxima to GIS option, results will be exported for any selected cloud simulation with full or summary results downloaded. If you select a simulation that has no results downloaded, the Download Cloud Results dialog is displayed so you can choose what type of results (full or summary) are to be downloaded.
Generating reports
- Grid reports can be generated for cloud simulations whose full or summary results have been downloaded to your local results folder. If no results are downloaded, and you want to include the results in the report, you will need to download them before generating the report.
- UPM river impact will be generated for cloud simulations whose full results have been downloaded. If any of the selected simulations have summary results or no results downloaded, you will be prompted to download full results during the report generation process.
- Statistical reports can be generated for any simulation with full or summary results downloaded. If you select a simulation that has no results downloaded, the Download Cloud Results dialog is displayed during the report generation process so you can choose what type of results (full or summary) are to be downloaded.
Exporting flood contours
You can only export flood contour information for cloud simulations whose full results have been downloaded to your local results folder.
Exporting maximum flood contours
Maximum flood contour information can be exported for cloud simulations whose full or summary results have been downloaded to your local results folder. If you select a simulation for export that has no results downloaded, the Download Cloud Results dialog is displayed so you can choose what type of results (full or summary) are to be downloaded.
Export 2D to raster
See Exporting 2D to raster for details about how to export 2D simulation results.