The Northwind database is a sample database that was originally created by Microsoft and used as the basis for their tutorials in a variety of database products for decades. The Northwind database contains the sales data for a fictitious company called “Northwind Traders,” which imports and exports specialty foods from around the world. The Northwind database is an excellent tutorial schema for a small-business ERP, with customers, orders, inventory, purchasing, suppliers, shipping, employees, and single-entry accounting. The Northwind database has since been ported to a variety of non-Microsoft databases, including PostgreSQL.

The Northwind dataset includes sample data for the following.

• Suppliers: Suppliers and vendors of Northwind
• Customers: Customers who buy products from Northwind
• Employees: Employee details of Northwind traders
• Products: Product information
• Shippers: The details of the shippers who ship the products from the traders to the end-customers
• Orders and Order_Details: Sales Order transactions taking place between the customers & the company

Temperature profile data were collected using bathythermograph (BT/XBT) casts from NORTHWIND in the Pacific Ocean from November 11, 1976 to November 15, 1976. Data were submitted by Scripps Institution of Oceanography as part of the Thermal Structure Monitoring Program in the Pacific (TRANSPAC) project. Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard Universal Bathythermograph Output (UBT) format. Full BT descriptions are available at http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODC-Archive/bt.html.

The UBT format contains temperature-depth profile data obtained using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments. Cruise information, position, date and time were reported for each observation. The data record was comprised of pairs of temperature-depth values. Unlike the MBT Data File, in which temperature values were recorded at uniform 5 m intervals, the XBT data files contained temperature values at non-uniform depths. These depths were recorded at the minimum number of points ("inflection points") required to accurately define the temperature curve. Standard XBTs can obtain profiles to depths of either 450 or 760 m. With special instruments, measurements can be obtained to 1830 m.

Temperature profile and water depth data were collected using BT and XBT casts from the USCGC NORTHWIND in the Northeast / Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Greenland Sea, Norwegian Sea, Labrador Sea, Davis Strait, and Baffin Bay. Data were collected from 02 April 1988 to 08 July 1988 by the US Coast Guard.

XBT data were collected from the USCGC NORTHWIND in support of the Integrated Global Ocean Services System (IGOSS) project. Data were collected by the US Coast Guard (USCG) from 09 October 1976 to 15 October 1976. Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard Universal Bathythermograph Output (UBT) format. Full format description is available from NODC at www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODC-Archive/bt.html.

The UBT file format is used for temperature-depth profile data obtained using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments. Standard XBTs can obtain profiles at depths of about 450 or 760 m. With special instruments, measurements can be obtained to 1830 m. Cruise information, position, date, and time are reported for each observation. The data record comprises pairs of temperature-depth values. Unlike the MBT data file, in which temperature values are recorded at uniform 5m intervals, the XBT Data File contains temperature values at non-uniform depths. These depths are at a minimum number of points ("inflection points") required to record the temperature curve to an acceptable degree of accuracy. On output, however, the user may request temperature values either at inflection points or interpolated to uniform depth increments.