HI

I would appreciate some assistance if possible. I am embarking on setting up a database for sports data and results( at home project). Wanting to know which application would be most suitable. Data would consist of 60% text(venues dates etc) 40% data(times scores resuts etc). Most of the data to be imported is either in xml files or csv files.

Whilst data integrity is obviously important, my main concern is the ability to run queiries to not only match data on text but to do so with many different data variables in combination.

Excel as a database would appear to be unviable as I would have to many duplicate records and data analysis for queiries needed may be too limited although I have found an article on using LINQ to allow excel to do external queries(this may make it viable then if I used Access and Excel in combination).

Has anyone got any suggestion or created a sports database before? Its the analysis of the database records that is my main concern, I want the freedom/ability to query it as I want to.

Thank You

nope that looks to me like 100% data the fact that some of your data contains venues dates and so on doesn't make it any diffrent to toehr types of data.

data integrity is critical, otherwise why do it in the first place, its either right or its useless

Excel is great for data manipulation,. analysing trends and creating real purdy graphs to bamboozle senior management and external parties. frankly its diabolical at data entry. precisely because it is so easy to setup, its also so easy to change things in background and not realise that there are problems

if the basic design of the data schema is correct then wuerying it shouldn't be an issue. granted a fully normalised database can be a b it intimidating to a beginner. but thats the way to go in my books

have a look at
Fundamentals of Relational Database Design -- r937.com
or
The Relational Data Model, Normalisation and effective Database Design

Thanks for the reply looks like I have a bit of reading to do, the links look good need to grab a coffee and read.

Can I ask is there a greater Pro or con to Access 2007 v SQL Express, is one a better database, or one have better structure or data portability or is it simply a packaging ploy by Microsoft to gain more revenue?