singhals <singhals@erols.com> writes: > Haines Brown wrote: > > > A very interesting thread. I hope no one minds if a non-genealogist > > jumps in with questions. > > > > My sense of the distinction of a relation-based and an event based > > structure is clear to me only in the abstract, but not in concrete > > terms. Would someone be willing to offer a simple example of each to > > help make the distinction clearer? > > Leaping happily to the conclusion that you mean > lineage-linked vs event-linked, rather than what you've > rather clearly SAID (relation-based vs event based) ... > > Succinctly: lineage-linked concerns itself with WHO; > event-linked concerns WHAT. > > In a Lineage-linked database, the important thing is the > linkage between a maximum of three persons (two parents and > a child). It confines itself to those persons believed to > social and/or biological relations (parent, child, spouse). > > > In an event-linked database, the important thing is the > EVENT itself, to which may be linked/attached to an > unlimited number of persons. An event-linked database CAN > include (but need not include) all persons present at the > event. > > --In the case of a marriage, all persons present include the > clergy, the altar-boys, the organist, the choir, the > janitor, the guests, the bride, the groom, their attendants, > any officialdom necessary in your corner of the world, the > parents of the bride and groom ... > > --In the Event of a baptism, all persons present again > include the baptisee, the parents, the clergy, the organist, > congregation, witnesses/sponsors/godparents ... How do you find the pedigree of an individual in an event-linked database? It would seem that you'd have links to all over the place to a lot of events that many people would consider to be trivia and no "root" from which to start tracing the lineage of any individual. Perhaps I don't grasp the concept of event-linked data, but it makes it seem that event-linked would be like a stew -- everything's in there but just try to find a particular item.