摘要: Traditionally biological data have been managed using a variety of computer software. Much of the data produced by a small research project can easily be stored in word processor and spreadsheet d0cuments as well as several types of database applications. For larger scale projects, particularly those requiring the integration of diverse kinds of data, this solution quickly becomes inadequate. In these cases project coordinators have developed specialized databases to analyze and store information needed for their specific situations, often utilizing one of the commercially available relational database management systems. The development of a specialized database involves considerable resources and expertise. An important question that might be asked by the director of a new project is whether an existing database can be transferred to a different site and quickly reconfigured for new (but similar) purposes, thus saving the time and expense of development. Unfortunately, ease of reuse—in the sense that a biologist without the assistance of specialized computer personnel can attempt the task—has not been a general property of most complex databases. This limitation brings with it two broad consequences. First, many databases are constructed de novo, without significant reference to existing databases; essentially, an expensive wheel is reinvented over and over again. Second, and more importantly, biologists yield the direct responsibility for database configuration to computer experts, even though biologists are both the producers and consumers of the data in the database. Recently a database tool designed specifically for use by …