----- Original Message -----

From: Paul Wendt

To: baseball-databank@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 10:01 AM

Subject: Re: [baseball-databank] data format (to List Newbie)

Software and format must depend on the nature of the data, of course. 
You generate, en masse, alternative values for records and fields in
the baseball-databank tables.  Others will have natural data for
alternative leagues such as Japanese majors and local softball.
Consider also supplementary fields of mlb playing data (Chuck Rosciam
of catchers encyclopedia mentioned here or to SABR-L this year) and
supplementary records for new mlb persons such as general managers.

For correcting, extending, and annotating the data in current bb-db
records, I use a private copy of the bb-db table itself; recently, from
the MS Access release by Sean Lahman.  I add at least an 'edit' field
to each table first time I modify it and if the edit field is null that
means I have not modified the record. 
The meaning of the edit field is sometimes false because of maintainer
error, but you probably get the idea.

Using MS Access, the edit field can be dragged (in the display) to a
convenient location.  Eg, this weekend I displayed the edit field
beside the debut field while correcting some debut dates (eleven from
1871-1875, reported to Sean Forman merely numerous hours ago).

Paul Wendt