Most of us begin with a single Evidentia database and never give it a second thought. For most work that is exactly right. A single file keeps everything connected. But splitting your work carries both benefits and costs, and it helps to understand both before you do it.
Below I walk through what a database actually holds, five reasons researchers keep more than one, and how to create a new database when the time comes.
What one database actually holds
A database in Evidentia is a self-contained body of research. It holds its own subjects, sources, citations, claims, and proofs. It also has its own Record Library, so the document images you attach live in a folder tied to that one database.
Two consequences follow from that, and both deserve thought before you split anything:
- Subjects cannot be linked across databases. Evidentia opens one database at a time, so there is no way to connect a person in one file to a person in another.
- Each database keeps its own Record Library. A census image you rely on in two databases has to be stored in each of them separately.
Five reasons to keep multiple databases
Keeping multiple databases earns its keep when your research has a natural seam. These are the five reasons that come up most often in my own work and in questions from the community.
1
Separate family lines that will never connect
Your own ancestry and your spouse’s, or an adoptive line you are keeping apart from a biological one. When two bodies of research will never link to each other, holding them in separate databases costs you nothing, and each stays uncluttered.
2
A focused proof project
Say you are building a case to the Genealogical Proof Standard for one hard question: which of three men named John Smith fathered your ancestor. A dedicated database can hold only the evidence that bears on that question. The proof argument stays clean, and your analysis is not buried under hundreds of unrelated people.
3
Client work and focused studies
If you research for other people, or you run a one-name or one-place study, each project wants its own boundary. Its own subjects, its own sources, and its own Record Library, so a client’s record images never mix in with your family’s.
Think of each database as a labeled box on a shelf. You can carry one to the reading room without hauling the whole archive along with it. The trade is that the boxes do not talk to each other, so it pays to put things where they belong the first time.
4
Research you intend to share
A whole database exports as a single file, Record Library and all, and it can be combined back into another database later. When you want to hand a cousin the branch the two of you share, a separate database lets you send that branch on its own rather than your entire life’s work. The combining side of this is its own topic, which I cover in Merge Database.
5
Keeping Evidentia responsive
Evidentia keeps your open database in memory so that evidence analysis stays immediate. Past a few thousand subjects, that responsiveness begins to slip. A focused database is simply quicker to work in, and that is the practical reason not to let one file grow without any limit.
How to create a new database
Working with multiple databases begins by creating one, and that takes about a minute, all in a single place.
Creating and switching databases
- Open Options and find the Databases panel.
- Click Create New Database.
- Enter a Database Name. A short Description is optional.
- Click Create. Evidentia backs up your current work, then opens the new database for you.
- To move between databases later, select the one you want from the list in that same Databases panel.
Behind the scenes, your new database becomes its own file and gets its own Record Library folder. Nothing from your other databases comes along, which is the whole point.
Before you split
Split along real boundaries, not for tidiness
Multiple databases are a real advantage in the right situation. But because subjects cannot be linked across databases, and each database carries its own Record Library, a split you make for neatness alone can come back to bite you. A line you might one day connect to the rest of your tree is better left where it is. When a body of research genuinely stands on its own, give it a database. Otherwise, one file is the right home.
One database is the right home for most research. When a project stands on its own, a second database keeps both it and your main file in good shape. And when you are ready to bring two of them back together, that is exactly what Merge Database is for.
New to Evidentia, or thinking about how it could organize your research? Take a look at what Evidentia 3+ does.
— Ed Thompson, Evidentia Software