Author Topic: What database or program should I use ?  (Read 54229 times)

Offline vickifperry

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Re: What database or program should I use ?
« Reply #18 on: Monday 23 February 09 12:44 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Bob, that's really helpful.
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Offline AshbrookCheshire

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Re: What database or program should I use ?
« Reply #19 on: Friday 14 September 12 09:53 BST (UK) »
At the risk of sounding like a philistine…

I’m just using the family tree on ancestry.co.uk for mine, it makes linking records easier, I can get a nice long list of people to see if they match up and it's pretty idiot proof (unlike Access!).  I guess this only works since my name is fairly small…or am I going to hit issues in the future?

Offline behindthefrogs

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Re: What database or program should I use ?
« Reply #20 on: Friday 14 September 12 12:14 BST (UK) »
I don't understand how you can use Ancestry for a one name study.  By its very nature a one name study causes you to want to store details of a large number of people who initially are not linked into families.  As your study progresses these gradually build up into family groups.  When you discover a link between two of these groups setting that up in most tree programs including Ancestry becomes a major problem.

People unfortunately confuse a one name study, where all instances of the name are recorded, with limiting their own family tree to a single surname.
Living in Berkshire from Northampton & Milton Keynes
DETAILS OF MY NAMES ARE IN SURNAME INTERESTS, LINK AT FOOT OF PAGE
Wilson, Higgs, Buswell, PARCELL, Matthews, TAMKIN, Seckington, Pates, Coupland, Webb, Arthur, MAYNARD, Caves, Norman, Winch, Culverhouse, Drakeley.
Johnson, Routledge, SHIRT, SAICH, Mills, SAUNDERS, EDLIN, Perry, Vickers, Pakeman, Griffiths, Marston, Turner, Child, Sheen, Gray, Woolhouse, Stevens, Batchelor
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Offline mike175

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Re: What database or program should I use ?
« Reply #21 on: Saturday 15 September 12 23:33 BST (UK) »
I don't understand how you can use Ancestry for a one name study.  By its very nature a one name study causes you to want to store details of a large number of people who initially are not linked into families.  As your study progresses these gradually build up into family groups.  When you discover a link between two of these groups setting that up in most tree programs including Ancestry becomes a major problem.

People unfortunately confuse a one name study, where all instances of the name are recorded, with limiting their own family tree to a single surname.

I don't pretend to have a true "One Name Study", but I do record every instance I find of one particular surname in my tree. Using RootsMagic software it is easy to record all the details of an individual and later to add in parent/child links, etc as and when they become available, thus fitting the person into the tree in the appropriate place. In fact I have many unconnected individuals in my RM database, and they show up in indexes, searches, etc, just sitting there waiting for me to find out where/if they belong in my family.

RootsMagic, as most genealogy software, is a database programme. It has facilities to merge individual records as well as link them in various ways. No major problem there ;)

But I certainly wouldn't trust all my data to an online tree, idiot proof or not, without at least taking regular backup copies.

Mike.

Baskervill - Devon, Foss - Hants, Gentry - Essex, Metherell - Devon, Partridge - Essex/London, Press - Norfolk/London, Stone - Surrey/Sussex, Stuttle - Essex/London, Wheate - Middlesex/Essex/Coventry/Oxfordshire/Staffs, Gibson - Essex, Wyatt - Essex/Kent


Offline AshbrookCheshire

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Re: What database or program should I use ?
« Reply #22 on: Sunday 16 September 12 18:51 BST (UK) »
Indeed.

I stored everyone with the Ashbrook or Ashbrooke surname from the 1911 census as individual people on Ancestry, and then as I've moved back through other censuses I've connected those people up. I've only just started my study, so 'only' about 900 people so far.

It does mean that I have a number of 'unconnected individuals', hopefully they might eventually connect!

Offline Gary2017

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Re: What database or program should I use ?
« Reply #23 on: Friday 03 March 17 05:57 GMT (UK) »
Hello,

I am also looking for a reliable database for ONS. I am currently using Custodian 4 and there are many glitches in the database and I feel it is too unstable to use.

Could you recommend any databases for the recording of large amounts of data regarding One-Name studies? Either PC or Mac would be acceptable.

Thank you very much. 

Kind Regards, Gary

Can anybosy suggest a good genealogical programme for One Name Studies?

Offline mike175

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Re: What database or program should I use ?
« Reply #24 on: Friday 03 March 17 10:03 GMT (UK) »
Gary,
I've been using RootsMagic for more than 10 years and found it completely reliable. The only time I've needed to revert to a saved backup was when I did something silly, and no database is immune to that. It is quite easy to just enter a list of unconnected individuals or import them as a GEDCOM file and subsequently add the connections and extra information as you find them. It is a very powerful program with many ways to display the information, pedigrees, descendant trees, etc. There is a free version available with more limited features if you want to try it. I don't have shares in RootsMagic  ;D just many years of happily using it after trying most others.

RM is based on a SQLite database with multiple tables so it is possible to manipulate data outside the program, but I would only do this with a copy, not the original for obvious reasons.

Hope this helps. As with most software the differences may take a while to get used to.

Mike.
Baskervill - Devon, Foss - Hants, Gentry - Essex, Metherell - Devon, Partridge - Essex/London, Press - Norfolk/London, Stone - Surrey/Sussex, Stuttle - Essex/London, Wheate - Middlesex/Essex/Coventry/Oxfordshire/Staffs, Gibson - Essex, Wyatt - Essex/Kent

Offline Gary2017

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Re: What database or program should I use ?
« Reply #25 on: Friday 03 March 17 18:39 GMT (UK) »
Hi Mike,

Thank you for your reply and for letting me know about RootsMagic and how well it has worked for you.  I tried it many years ago but I will definitely give it another try.  Ten years of being reliable, for you, is a pretty good track record.  I have a lot of unrelated data that I need to enter into a reliable database for future research and this sounds as if it might work.

Thank you again!  ;-)

Regards,
Gary



Gary,
I've been using RootsMagic for more than 10 years and found it completely reliable. The only time I've needed to revert to a saved backup was when I did something silly, and no database is immune to that. It is quite easy to just enter a list of unconnected individuals or import them as a GEDCOM file and subsequently add the connections and extra information as you find them. It is a very powerful program with many ways to display the information, pedigrees, descendant trees, etc. There is a free version available with more limited features if you want to try it. I don't have shares in RootsMagic  ;D just many years of happily using it after trying most others.

RM is based on a SQLite database with multiple tables so it is possible to manipulate data outside the program, but I would only do this with a copy, not the original for obvious reasons.

Hope this helps. As with most software the differences may take a while to get used to.

Mike.

Offline mike175

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Re: What database or program should I use ?
« Reply #26 on: Friday 03 March 17 21:00 GMT (UK) »
I just checked my RootsMagic stats and find I have roughly 3,500 relatives in my personal tree and 500 unconnected individuals all in the same database. However you can have several separate databases and even 'drag and drop' individuals from one to the other if you wish, it is a very user friendly interface.

Most ONS enthusiasts do seem to use Custodian but I found that interface rather old fashioned. I just downloaded the free demo of version 4 today out of curiosity and although it has been improved since I last tried it I still don't think I'll be giving up RM.

Mike.
Baskervill - Devon, Foss - Hants, Gentry - Essex, Metherell - Devon, Partridge - Essex/London, Press - Norfolk/London, Stone - Surrey/Sussex, Stuttle - Essex/London, Wheate - Middlesex/Essex/Coventry/Oxfordshire/Staffs, Gibson - Essex, Wyatt - Essex/Kent