Lab database - (Apr/21/2007 )

Hello All,

Couldn't find any other place to post so I hope this is the right place.

I am looking for some freeware database application which I can use to build my own database of primers, plasmids, strains etc. Currently I am maintaining them as an excel sheet but its becoming cumbersome now.

We use FileMaker pro for the lab but we don't have only one license so its out of question. I tried using OpenOffice Base but I couldn't build it properly and finally I gave up. I will be glad if anybody could suggest any mac freeware for such purpose.

Thanks in advance for your input

Probably you won't find a program that suits all your custom needs. If you have some knowledge of MS access, you can build a database using access. There is an existing database called "Freezer and Cell Line database" built using ACCESS http://www.protocol-online.org/prot/Cell_B...l_Preservation/

You can also try searching http://sourceforge.net to find if there are lab database projects which are all free.

Thanks for your quick reply but I am using mac and thats where all troubles lie. I could have used access database on PC but I don't have one

Hey, if you feel brave, you could always write your own using mysql. I am not sure if there are any nice GUI front ends however if you click on the link in my ppost footnote (bioinformaticsonline) there are several mac fan-boys that will be of much more help than me.


best of luck.

@perlmonkey,

You seem to be geeky guy so it may be possible. I don't belong to that department. Tried to learn perl once and failer miserably so don't have guts to touch it again. (Otherwise I would have succeeded using Open Office Base, right?

But worth a suggestion, I will give a try.

Thanks

appleworks, which may have come bundled with your mac but is relatively inexpensive, includes a database manager that you can use to set up your database.