What is the difference between a flat file and relational database?
For small institutional and private collections it may be sufficient to store information in an easily available spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel or another flat file database, where all the information is kept in a single large table. However, these days modern relational database programs, from basic, off-the-shelf packages like Paradox, MySQL, or Microsoft Access to specialty programs like Specify or EMu, allow powerful searches cross-referencing of data, and association of specimen images and other media. In a relational database, information is kept in various tables linked together by use of a common field, such as the specimen’s accession number or catalog number. The advantage to this approach is that data need to be entered only once. For example, locality or excavation information entered into one table can be linked to multiple specimens. For an individual collector or small institution, it might be enough to have your database on one computer terminal that is shared
