Genealogy Databases-How To Advice

[Robert Sullivan]

>What I REALLY want to do, since we'll be putting lots more genealogy
>data online, is build a series of databases and make a web page that
>provides a search tool in which a user can simply type in a name or
>keyword, causing a script to link to one or more databases, and produce
>the result on the web page for the user.

The majority of the pages on our site are genealogy-related, so I registered
with PicoSearch, one of the free search engines which will host an index for
your site.  Their free accounts will do up to 1500 pages (I'm at 330 or so,
with a lot more in the works), and response time is very fast.  You get a lot
of control over what is indexed, and can specify directories and files you
don't want included.  You may use buttons or a text link, and the hits are
nicely displayed with surrounding text.  You may try ours at
<http://www.scpl.org/history>.

>I can create a database, and do
>the html page, but it's the rest of the process that I need to learn.
>Should I use Access? Someone told me never, ever use that, get Oracle or
>DB2. What do those of you with experience recommend?

If you are just using your database to produce HTML files (I do it with
FoxPro), you don't face the same issues you would if you were trying to provide
a live database.  You should be able to use whatever software you're most
comfortable with.

Bob Sullivan                               scp_sulli at sals.edu
Schenectady County Public Library (NY)     http://www.scpl.org