kristoff@GENBANK.BIO.NET (Dave Kristofferson) (09/30/90)
> Would you please explain what RDBMS can do. This is the first I've heard > about it and it sounds interesting ... Sandy, I am going to post this response to the newsgroup as I am sure others are wondering the same thing about my recent announcement. A RDBMS (relational database management system) provides many advantages to the people maintaining the data (greater accuracy, minimal redundancy in storing data, and much greater ease of updating). For the end user they will, of course, benefit from the greater consistency in the data base, but they can also use SQL (structured query language) to query the annotations of the database in ways which would have been much more difficult before. Note that the annotations are being segregated into categories in the database, but the sequence data is kept as a separate entity, i.e., it is not split up or indexed in some way. I do not wish to pretend that SQL is a snap to pick up. It is a form of high level programming language and requires a modicum of skill to use, but it is much easier to learn than, say, BASIC programming. Maybe one might put it on a par with Hypercard programming for the Mac. It will also take some patience to learn how to utilize SQL with the data in the new RDBMS (one must learn how the data is organized to be able to use SQL to query it), but those who take the time will be the ones who will be able to derive new information from the annotations that may have been much more difficult to extract in the past. Those who wait until the interface is as easy to use as the telephone will usually arrive after the party is over. The new GenBank On-line Service Manual provides an introduction to SQL and describes the structure of the data in the RDBMS. It should be sufficient information to get people started exploring the RDBMS on their own. The technical support staff at GOS will also be available for telephone/e-mail support for GOS users. In addition to SQL, GOS also provides a program developed at LANL called the Annotator's Workbench which is a tool for browsing the database. This program does not require prior knowledge of SQL or the database structure, but, of course, it will not allow the full range of queries possible through SQL. Perhaps Michael Cinkosky who heads the RDBMS effort at LANL would like to comment on these issues as well. Sincerely, Dave Kristofferson GenBank Manager kristoff@genbank.bio.net