[GUSDEV] Newbie Question: GUS on a small scale...

[<Fow...@ep...>]

Hello,

I apologize if this is not the correct place to post this question/idea.

Briefly, I am a plant molecular biologist that is trying to pick up some 
rudimentary bioinformatics (eg, relational databases, scripting, etc.)

I would like to build a small-scale database that stores and integrates 
information on a small number of gene families.  These families are of 
interest in my lab's various research projects.  The information would be 
gathered from a few sites on the web, or from manual input (my lab, 
potentially others).

While looking and reading around, I found the GUS home site, and have 
browsed through it a bit.

As a newcomer to this field, I confess some ignorance, but have a possible 
suggestion/idea and question.

My observation is that the information that I'd like to store in the 
database I am conceiving would all fit in the tables/categories that are 
present in your schema.  However, I don't think that I would ever need all 
of the complexity that you have available.

Would it be possible, or recommendable, to develop a smaller, limited set 
of tables/categories that is derived from GUS for my application?  I am 
even thinking that it might be useful to develop this smaller schema as a 
template for a purchased desktop type of database (Filemaker Pro is what I 
am familiar with), such that non-bioinformatics folks like me could 
relatively easily develop & maintain lab-specific, small-scale databases.

However, by deriving this schema from your GUS (as a standard) might help 
allow easier eventual expansion or communication of information.

please provide criticism, or other thoughts.  Is there already something 
like what I am describing?

many thanks,
John

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John E. Fowler
Associate Professor, OSU Botany and Plant Pathology Dept.
On Sabbatical at the EPA Western Ecology Division, Corvallis
email:  fow...@ep...
Phone: (541) 754-4866