Talk:Biological database

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I don't think the term metabase rightly applies to GeneCards and euGenes. The link to GenLoc is broken so I can't tell. I think SOURCE is rightly called a metabse.

I would like to propose the following datbase classification...

• Primary database - compiles the results of basic scientific experiments. Like a primary witness, it is a basic (first hand) source of data.

• Secondary database - A database including computationally derived information from the primary data. These databases apply processing in the form of various algorithms to produce 'secondary' data from the primary data. A secondary database my link several primary databases using hyperlinks, but no serious integration effort is involved.

• Ternary database - An integrated database which combines primary and or secondary datbases into a derived 'classification' database.

• Middle ware - the technology for producing a ternary database should not be confused with the database iteslf. This is confusing because many middleware technologies develope a ternary database to show off the technology 'in action', and it is hard to distinguish the two. One example of this is the ECOCYC database.

If there are no objections I will add this classification to the mainpage. --193.60.81.207 14:49, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Sorry, I didn't see the TALK before my last edit... I do believe database like euGene should be called meta or secondary dbs, it describes itself as "euGenes provides a common summary of gene and genomic information from eukaryotic organism databases", which fits well to the description I put on the page. What do you think?

I m not aware of the further classification into Ternary dbs in this context. But, please add your knowledge if you have more details on this.

I would suggest putting the more technical things into a seperate topic, like "data integration" or something like it.