Effective Database Tactics Kory L. Meyerink, MLS, AG, FUGA Salt Lake City, Utah E-mail: KoryM@comcast.net Online or off, modern genealogy research requires effective searching of databases. With millions of names in hundreds of different databases, it s easy for an ancestor to get lost. Your success depends on knowing the best way to search each different collection. Boolean, truncation, keyword, fielded data, proximity, phrase, wild cards and wild words are not foreign terms, but rather your keys to genealogical success! Types of Databases Fielded Text Methods/Syntax Keyword Phonetic (Soundex, Metaphone) Wildcards Truncation Phrase Boolean Field searching Limiting Proximity String searching Controlled vocabulary/subject headings Nesting (Grouping) Techniques Less is more Choose the right field(s) search options Alternative terms Experiment Library Catalogs Fielded data Controlled vocabulary Alternate Database Versions DISCUSSION OUTLINE
Boolean and Related Examples Types Example Finds Results Containing Single Word (Keyword) keokuk keokuk AND (often automatic) snow family both snow and family OR (may be ) birth OR marriage birth or marriage (-) chamberlain -neville chamberlain but not neville Phrase search new york city the phrase: new york city Synonyms (similar words) ~genealogy family tree family history surname Stemming (word variants) plasket plasket and plaskett Stop word forced search +is +to is to Truncation marr marry marrying married Wildcard: single Sm?th Smith, Smyth Wildcard: multiple town* towns, township, townland Proximity (near/adj) ellis york@5 ellis and york within 5 words Soundex (phonetic) chamberlain chamberlin, chambers, etc. Where to Find Alternate Versions of Some Databases Major genealogy database sites State-run sites (especially for vital records) County GenWeb sites Record specific sites (such as for cemeteries or passenger lists) Some academic collections Bibliography of References Calishain, Tara. Web Garage. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005. Crume, Rick. Top 10 Public Libraries, FamilyTreeMagazine.com 10/8/2010. Hill, Brad. Google for Dummies. New York: Wiley Pub., 2003. 360 pgs. Lynch, Daniel M. Google Your Family Tree. Provo: FamilyLink.com, 2008. 340 pgs. Mann, Thomas. The Oxford Guide to Library Research, 3 rd ed. New York: Oxford, 2005. ProQuest Database Guide: Heritage Quest Online (Online: ProQuest, 2010), <http://www.proquest.com/assets/downloads/products/hqo_db_guide.pdf> accessed Nov. 2013. Research Buzz daily e-zine by Tara Calishain <http://www.researchbuzz.com> newsletter@researchbuzz.com
Comparison of Selected Databases Features Note: Some databases have different search parameters. [# indicates any number] Vendor/ Trun-cati Wild-car Proximity Phonetic Boolean Phrase Database on d Field Ancestry Soundex No * after 3 * No No Yes Internet Archive Fuzzy ~ Texts Heritage Quest: PERSI No and, or, not * No quotes No Yes Google No word in Stem phrase quotes No No GNIS No auto and Yes Bowker / Books and, or, Unk. * No No No in Print andnot Chadwyck - Use field input Unk. and, or, not *? default near. # Healey boxes. RootsWeb Soundex Metaphone No Yes Fold3 No World Bio. Info. Biographical No Systems Newspaper Archive No Yes by field No No Yes, field No Yes Genealogy Bank No and, or, not *? quotes near# Name & date The Genealogist Yes No * No No No Yes Encyclopedia Britannica No No * No not available Origins Network NameX No * *,? No No Sort columns WorldCat No and, or, not * or? #,? quotes n# +,, - after 3 GaleNet No and, or, not *? quotes n# Custom JSTOR No and, or, + for Use pull down No Yes near andnot -s or es menus Oxford Eng. Dictionary No and, or, and not *? default near, before, after Use pull down menus. Definitions Boolean A method of searching using two or more terms in combination or exclusion with each other specific connecting words (called operators ) that define the relationship between the two words. Connecting words are usually:. Named after George Boole.
Controlled vocabulary Various words with similar or related meanings are all mapped to a specific word. es using that word will return any of the mapped words. Example: Bavaria, Prussia and Hessen are all mapped to Germany for U.S. census searches at Ancestry.com. Field searching requests are made in specifically identified fields and will only find matching data in that field. Fielded Data All of the information in a database is entered into specific fields, such as Name, Birth place, Death date, etc. Keyword Ability to search for a specific word, often across several data fields. Also, the use of major or key words in a search wherein small or minor stop words are not sought in the search. Limiting Requires that the results of a search be within a specific range, such as the date field in a library catalog. Nesting (Grouping) In Boolean searching, requires that certain combinations (a nested search) be made before others. Phonetic ing for words (especially surnames) that sound alike, but may be spelled differently. Several different indexing systems exist. Two of the most common are Soundex and Metaphone. Phrase es for two or more words in a specific sequence. The words are usually entered between quotation marks. Proximity terms must be found near each other in the data set. Usually the distance can be set as a specific number of characters or words. String searching es for any number of consecutive characters Subject headings In library catalogs, specifically selected words are used to categorize several related topics. For example, Taxation may be used for tax lists, quit rent, assessment, rateables, etc. Text Data set consisting primarily of just electronic text. The information is not segregated into specific fields. Also called free text. Truncation es using just the first few letters (usually three to five or more) of a word to retrieve any words beginning with those letters. Wildcard Use of a symbol to represent one or more letters in a search. Typical symbols include? where any one letter may vary and * when two or more letters may be represented.