Relational Databases
This presentation by Dr. Michael Kohn of UCSF gives a great introduction to the topic, and offers the following guidelines for data management in clinical research:
- Establish the database tables, their rows and columns, and their relationships correctly at the outset.
- Establish and follow naming conventions for columns and tables.
- Obtain baseline demographic and clinical information about members of the study population from existing computer databases.
- Minimize the extent to which study measurements are recorded on paper forms.
- Follow standard data entry conventions.
- Back up the database regularly.
Additionally, this PowerPoint on "Database Design Techniques for Clinical Research," by Melissa K. Carroll of Princeton, covers relational database design, setting up a relational database in Microsoft Access, and offers thoughts to consider in designing a database for a study.