GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

[Reiner L. Sauer]

Dear all,

Considering the fact that Reunion has a flat file system for sources, which standard GEDCOM Tags can and may be used for sources in Reunion?

The GEDCOM Standard appears to be silent about GEDCOM Tags for flat file sources.

Regards
Reiner

[Robert Godfrey]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

Dear all,

Considering the fact that Reunion has a flat file system for sources, which standard GEDCOM Tags can and may be used for sources in Reunion?

The GEDCOM Standard appears to be silent about GEDCOM Tags for flat file sources.

Regards
Reiner

Reiner,

I'm not sure I understand the problem. It appears that Reunion's sources system is relational, not flat file, but will flatten the exported data if instructed to do so. Here's what the Reunion Manual has to say:

Sources - If you're exporting a GEDCOM file destined for PAF (Personal Ancestral File software), you should check the Flatten structured sources button in the GEDCOM Export window. This will export all structured source fields as TEXT so that PAF can import the GEDCOM file.

[Reiner L. Sauer]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

Dear Robert,

Reiner,

I'm not sure I understand the problem. It appears that Reunion's sources system is relational, not flat file, but will flatten the exported data if instructed to do so. Here's what the Reunion Manual has to say:

Sources - If you're exporting a GEDCOM file destined for PAF (Personal Ancestral File software), you should check the Flatten structured sources button in the GEDCOM Export window. This will export all structured source fields as TEXT so that PAF can import the GEDCOM file.

Thank you for your response.

Reunion Sources are NOT relational, they are flat file. In other words: if you have a 100 different documents from "NARA", you need to type the name of the archive i.e. "National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)" 100 times. This is similar to a simple Excel spreadsheet. The downside: Besides wasting a lot of time to type this, space is wasted, too. The up-side: Sources are easy to set up, unless you need to transfer sources data via GEDCOM.

Nevertheless, the problem is bigger than just waisting a some bits and bytes of space. Most other genealogie programms, such as e.g. Legacy store source data in a relational sources file, e.g. the archive information "National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)" only appears ONCE in the entire sources database of a program.

I hope this explains the basic differences between a flat file structure for sources and a relational file structure for sources. For most of us that may appear not be very important, but if you have thousand and thousands of sources, or if you have to constantly transfer data between various programs, with different structures (flat sources databases and/or relational databases for sources) this difference is quite important and it gets quite difficult to transfer sources across different structures, because the GEDCOM code for "flat file sources" vs "relational file source" is totally different.

But this is not the place to discuss the virtues of one structure over the other. I just want to know how to utilize the flat sources file structure to the fullest extent. Unfortunately, I have never really found a comprehensive listing of permissible GEDCOM Tags for a flat file source system. The "Kennedy" example files provided with Reunion shows the following GEDCOM Tags as being used for the Reunion sources database:

AUTH, PERI, CALN, CPLR, CNTC, COPR, DATE, DATV, DETA, EDTN, EDTR, FILE, FILN, FILM, INFT, INTE, INTV, ISSU, REPO, PLAC, LOCA, MEDI, OWNR, PAGE, PUBL, QUAY, RECO, REGI, REPO, SERS, SUBM, TITL, URL, and VOL. Is it correct to use such GEDCOM Tags under GEDCOM 5.5.1 for a flat file source system?

What about GEDCOM Tags such as ABBR, TEXT, TYPE, REFN, RIN and otheres; they are being used by other Genealogie Programs for sources under GEDCOM 5.5.1.

Therefore, I repeat my question 'Which standard GEDCOM Tags can and may be used for sources in Reunion?'.
If Reunion users can't answer this question, I would appreciate a response from the Leister team.

Best regards.
Reiner

[Robert Godfrey]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

Dear Robert,


Thank you for your response.

Reunion Sources are NOT relational, they are flat file. In other words: if you have a 100 different documents from "NARA", you need to type the name of the archive i.e. "National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)" 100 times. This is similar to a simple Excel spreadsheet. The downside: Besides wasting a lot of time to type this, space is wasted, too. The up-side: Sources are easy to set up, unless you need to transfer sources data via GEDCOM.

[snip]

Best regards.
Reiner

Reiner,

Reunion's sources are relational — one-to-many — in that a single source can be linked to numerous fields and numerous people.

What you are describing is what I'll refer to as a "sublist" relational capability. That requires an additional relation. So, the database would contain a relation of the overall titles, and another relation containing the individual documents that you describe. I can see how that would be useful, although it complicates exporting the relational data.

You may want to suggest this additional feature in ReunionTalk's Wish List section.

Note that you can manually enter the entire list of missing GEDCOM tags in Reunion preferences (under Preferences > Sources > Fields). I'm unaware of any problems that would cause.

[John Hill]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

Reunion Sources are NOT relational, they are flat file. In other words: if you have a 100 different documents from "NARA", you need to type the name of the archive i.e. 100 times. This is similar to a simple Excel spreadsheet. The downside: Besides wasting a lot of time to type this, space is wasted, too. The up-side: Sources are easy to set up, unless you need to transfer sources data via GEDCOM.

This has been debated a number of times, the last quite recently.

The solution is to have ONE source for "National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)" or whatever, and enter the specific reference in the detail field. When you view the source in Reunion or print a report, you will see the detail (assuming that you have not customised it out of the report).

This technique is employed by many, if not most, Reunion users for censuses, BMD sources, Ancestry and FindMyPast references etc.

[jmayes]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

This has been debated a number of times, the last quite recently.

The solution is to have ONE source for "National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)" or whatever, and enter the specific reference in the detail field. When you view the source in Reunion or print a report, you will see the detail (assuming that you have not customised it out of the report).

This technique is employed by many, if not most, Reunion users for censuses, BMD sources, Ancestry and FindMyPast references etc.

I agree 100%

[Michael Talibard]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

if you have a 100 different documents from "NARA", you need to type the name of the archive i.e. "National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)" 100 times.

With respect, this is not the case. Those words can appear repeatedly without any re-typing. You just use Cmd-d.

[Michael Talibard]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

[QUOTE=John Hill;38763]This has been debated a number of times, the last quite recently.
The solution is to have ONE source for "National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)" or whatever, and enter the specific reference in the detail field.

[theKiwi]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

I am most certainly not part of the "many if not most" of Reunion users.

I'm just fine with having several thousand sources.

Roger

[M Ward]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

...Which standard GEDCOM Tags can and may be used for sources in Reunion?'...

In 1999 the 3rd Ed. of " GEDCOM DATA TRANSFER moving your famly file" was written and published by David Hawgood in the UK.

It provides a very comprehensive guide to the use and meaning of all the tags in GEDCOM and might well provide the answers you require.

As it has an ISBN 0 948151 17 X, a copy should be obtainable via your local public library.
I notice that Amazon.co.uk have a copy available through a re-seller and also on e-Bay there is a copy for sale.

Michael

[Frank]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

...Which standard GEDCOM Tags can and may be used for sources in Reunion?...

The best place to start is the Preferences / Sources / Fields window. Look at the list of "Source Fields." When any field is selected, the corresponding GEDCOM tag appears to the right.

Upon import, if a tag (in a source record) is not recognized, the corresponding data will be shuffled into the free-form text field of the source record in Reunion.

When exported, any custom source fields will utilize whatever custom GEDCOM tag you've assigned to the field (in the Source Preferences window).

[Reiner L. Sauer]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

Hello Robert,
[QUOTE=Robert Godfrey;38754]Reiner,
Reunion's sources are relational

[Reiner L. Sauer]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

Hello John,

This has been debated a number of times, the last quite recently.

The solution is to have ONE source for "National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)" or whatever, and enter the specific reference in the detail field. When you view the source in Reunion or print a report, you will see the detail (assuming that you have not customised it out of the report).

This technique is employed by many, if not most, Reunion users for censuses, BMD sources, Ancestry and FindMyPast references etc.

Although this doesn't answer my question about GEDCOM Tags, thanks for your suggested work around.
The "Detail" field in sources is not really suitable for this. The Detail field is mainly intended for minor bits of differing information in sources, such a page numbers. See the Manual for "Sources in Reports: Citations and Endnotes" as to limitations for the Detail field.

Regards
Reiner

[Reiner L. Sauer]

Re: GEDCOM Tags for Reunion sources

Dear Michael,

In 1999 the 3rd Ed. of " GEDCOM DATA TRANSFER moving your famly file" was written and published by David Hawgood in the UK.

It provides a very comprehensive guide to the use and meaning of all the tags in GEDCOM and might well provide the answers you require.

As it has an ISBN 0 948151 17 X, a copy should be obtainable via your local public library.
I notice that Amazon.co.uk have a copy available through a re-seller and also on e-Bay there is a copy for sale.

Thank you for your suggestion. I will certainly look into this further, if I can't get a simple answer to my question.

Actually, I was hoping for a simple confirmation that the GEDCOM Tags such as AUTH, PERI, CALN, CPLR, CNTC, COPR, DATE, DATV, DETA, EDTN, EDTR, FILE, FILN, FILM, INFT, INTE, INTV, ISSU, REPO, PLAC, LOCA, MEDI, OWNR, PAGE, PUBL, QUAY, RECO, REGI, REPO, SERS, SUBM, TITL, URL, and VOL are safe to use within Reunion. Plus a suggestion how to deal with tags such as ABBR, TEXT, TYPE, REFN, RIN in Reunion?

Regards
Reiner