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[Enhancement]: Evaluate CASE_HASH as the canonical Case identifier #136

@tomvothecoder

Description

@tomvothecoder

Is your feature request related to a problem?

SimBoard currently groups simulations under a Case using the case name derived from the E3SM timing file. This is not guaranteed to be globally unique or stable. Different users can reuse the same case name for distinct experiments, and configuration changes across submissions may not be reliably detected.

There is a risk of incorrectly grouping unrelated executions or failing to distinguish configuration drift within a logical case.

Describe the solution you'd like

Evaluate adopting CASE_HASH (from env_case.xml) as the primary identifier for Case grouping.

Key points to validate:

  • CASE_HASH is expected to remain consistent across executions of the same logical case.
  • CASE_HASH should be unique across distinct E3SM cases.
  • Observed differences in CASE_HASH across submissions may indicate configuration changes or case regeneration (related comment)
    • Confirm expected behavior across multiple submissions before formalizing it as the grouping key.

If validated, use CASE_HASH as the canonical Case identifier instead of relying solely on case name.

Describe alternatives you've considered

  • Continue grouping by case name only.
  • Use case name as primary key with CASE_HASH as a validation or secondary consistency check.
  • Hybrid approach: prefer CASE_HASH, fall back to case name when missing.

Additional context

CASE_HASH is generated from case parameters in env_case.xml and is intended to uniquely represent a case configuration. It may provide a more reliable grouping key than case name alone, but requires verification across real-world submissions before adoption.

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