A database, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a collection of data arranged for ease and speed of search and retrieval." If you were to replace the word "data" with "mixed vegetables" and "search and retrieval" with "eating" you might get a better idea of what a database is. It's a collection of carrots, beans, and peas that you can sort, summarize, and print out.

Databases are similar to warehouses in the sense that they are great places to store things that are similar. If you want to search for a match on a state, and some of the records say "TX" and some say "Tex" and some say "Texas" then you will have to do something to help the computer group them properly. Maybe you would add a field named "CODEDSTATE" and put "TX" in it for each of the three cases. That's called "scrubbing" the data—and it's really important in family history to do that in a way that doesn't involve destroying the original citation.

I want to point out that there is a difference in a "database" and a "database management system (DBMS)." A database could be any old list, such as is often found in Microsoft Excel. A DBMS is a special program for storing and retrieving data, such as Microsoft Access.

Today we will talk about when you, as a genealogy buff, might decide to use a database, and when that database might be in a DBMS (hint: probably never).

Do You Really Need a Database?
I talk to a large number of genealogists, and I use databases a lot. It's my impression that a DBMS is a solution in search of a problem. Most of the challenges to organizing information encountered by the genealogist can be dealt with using readily available tools, and some of them are free.

You might decide that you really want to use one. Let me say that using a database program requires more training than using a spreadsheet or word processor or genealogy program. You have to design your table structures, you have to figure out how to link data that is in different tables, and you have to figure out how to get the information into the tables. Most people come to their senses and quit before they get past this point. But there ARE times when you can make a case for using a DBMS.

You have a better chance of being elected governor of California. For example, you will generally find that a spreadsheet can only handle 65,000 rows. So if you get your hands on a really big list of marriage records and want to play with it, you might need to use a DBMS.

But the best uses for a DBMS are to link together lots of different kinds of vegetables, and that takes some special training that most of us don't have. And now that I've beaten that point to death, here's the good news. You can get lots of help with your data without learning it all.

Hey Buddy, You Wanna Buy a Spreadsheet?
One of the easiest databases you can work with is a spreadsheet. It's fairly easy to make a column for each person and a row for each record and then put the relevant information into each cell. If you're careful you can sort it and it's really easy to tell what you're missing. But the real power of a database is to relate information from different sources—say, Marriages and Census and Land Records and Wills. You would still mix them up in Excel if you wanted to.

Excel has a great set of lookup functions that will let you pull in data from different worksheets. I use HLOOKUP and VLOOKUP a lot, and I think you could use them to link and compare different kinds of information. For more information on HLOOKUP and VLOOKUP and how these functions work, check the help function of Excel. If you think this is a tough learning curve, I can assure you that a DBMS presents you with a lot more to learn than linking Excel tables.

Excel also has a feature called "AutoFilter" that will let you click on any column and limit the display to some specific value in that column, such as a birth state of Alabama.

Get a Clooz
If you have a lot of different kinds of records and want to enter them into a computer to record them, think about using a program called Clooz, from Clooz.com. Clooz was written by Liz Kerstens, the managing editor of Genealogical Computing. It's a great genealogy filing cabinet, with templates for entering the various kinds of records that you find in family history. It's not free, but it's not expensive, and you can start entering your information in just a few minutes. No programming required! Clooz stores evidence—it doesn't make family trees.

How About a Real Genealogy Program?
Free or Fee?
If it's family trees you want, you'll need to get a "real genealogy program." There are a number of them that are free - such as PAF, Legacy, and Ancestry Family Tree. If you want more features than these programs provide, you can buy Family Tree Maker or the Master Genealogist—and leave the programming to someone else.

If You Really Must, Think MS Access
I've been using MS Access since version 1. The current version is Access 2003—part of Office 2003. There was a big change between Access 97 and Access 2000—you have to convert your pre-2000 applications in order to use them with the newer versions. Since then, you can use Access 2000 formats for any of the newer versions. And here's something fun—you can look at your Legacy and TMG data in MS Access. I don't recommend that you do anything to change any of that information, though. You can break your program and the developer will not be happy with you—but sometimes people want to see what's behind the curtain.

Beau Sharbrough is a product manager at Ancestry.com. His articles contain his own views and opinions and do not reflect any corporate policy or statement by the company. The RootsWorks series of articles focuses on genealogical applications for generic technologies. Beau would like to hear from you at www.rootsworks.com and discuss this or any topic related to the use of technology in family history. Tell us about your experiences. Please note that he cannot assist you with your individual computer problems. Visit the RootsWorks website for links to previous articles and Beau's lecture schedule.

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