Development of External Data Management Tools for ACE-Type Databases

Database curators frequently find it useful to do some of their data
management outside of the database itself. One example of this is in
handling the search word-generated lists of references from BIOSIS or
AGRICOLA. Each reference has to be 1) checked for relevance before
inclusion in the database, 2) parsed into the needed ACE format, and 3)
compared to existing database entries to eliminate duplicated records
and/or edited when an author has published more than one paper in a given
year. We have developed a number of programs which have been useful in this
and other similar kinds of data management.

External data management tools do not have to run on the same platform as
the database. We have found it convenient to write our tools using
HyperCard on a Macintosh. HyperCard has proven to be an excellent language
for rapid development of small to medium sized programs. It provides an
easy to use programming environment that offers all of the 'bells and
whistles' (buttons, scrolling windows, etc.) that are important for ease of
use. Several examples of data management tools that we find useful in the
curation of SoyBase will be discussed.