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If you were starting over again!?

Replies: 5

Re: If you were starting over again!?

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 3:24PM GMT
Classification: Query
I was a computer software engineer and have a working background in Library Science, cataloguing and museum archiving. I have always believed that computer software is a tool that supports your business model, not the other way around. Most genealogy software supports a single over arching model that, in general, supports a generic system of gathering data, which forces you to do things their way. For most people this is great because they do not have any idea how to manage a family genealogy project.

Without knowing your specific needs and business model I would have no idea how to answer your initial question without telling you to try as many programs as possible then pick the one that you like the best. All of them are strong in some areas and week in other areas. But most lock you into doing your work using their model. This is not bad unless their model make little sense to you or does not support your required functions.

I use a hybrid system, because all of the programs I have seen either do not capture enough information, do not support library style cataloguing or their data can't be access by an outside application. My genealogy program is a well designed database driven program based on the complete GEDCOM v5.5.1 standard. This program also allows me to get at the internal database so I use a library cataloguing scheme to maintain my source material, photos, and backup stuff.

To answer you last question specifically. I would not catalogue directly by name. All individuals should be given an Accession Number used to identify that person uniquely, kind of like a book ISBN number. I do the same thing with all source material, photos, et. el. I have in my GEDCOM Database (described above) a reference to this number. An Accession Number in my system is based on a simple date added algorithm, with a sequence number to maintain uniqueness. This is what Museums and some specialty libraries do when they catalogue new artifacts that are added to the collection.

I then catalogue just like a library these documents with an index controlled by my Database. I can find any document or person file, by searching for the person in my Database and retrieving the number. Searching in the database can be either by listing out people by name (direct access) or using a tree diagram written into the software and navigating up/down from individual to individual, thus if I know a close relative I can find the person by following kinship lines.

Many of the commercially available programs allow you to enter a value like my Accession number into the individuals record. So you don't need to install the same Genealogy program I have.

Hope this helps
SubjectAuthorDate Posted
65hplane 15 Aug 2014 7:53PM GMT 
SBAaaaAA 25 Aug 2014 8:54PM GMT 
65hplane 26 Aug 2014 7:55PM GMT 
kj_norway 26 Aug 2014 9:24PM GMT 
Andrew_Gabb 26 Nov 2014 2:45AM GMT 
wbalson 5 Apr 2015 3:38PM GMT 
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