RetroGen – Notes, Notes and Notes

I have been reviewing notes and where they can and where they are being used with a small set of Genealogy tools and software.

In Ancestry, notes tend to be limited to a single note per person, the citation detail and other information, repository and source notes. Whereas in an older copy of Reunion, this are multiple individual and family notes, a single citation memo and media notes, so the additional of family and media notes but no source or repository notes. Also, Ancestry uses inline notes whereas Reunion uses reference note tags.

The situation in RootsMagic is better, mirroring the scope of notes from Ancestry (given TreeShare) as well as allowing notes for media description, events and families.

The one items missing from my coding to date are event notes which could be useful for custom events (EVEN tag which use the event type) to describe the event if the type alone is insufficient.

At this stage my coding of notes from a GEDCOM file is limited to individual, families, sources, repository and citations. When I add media objects into RetroGen, these will also have notes. I will review the use of media in a future post as Reunion is deficient in their limited use of media to individual, families and sources but ignoring citations or events.

The updated and simplified entity relationship diagram is as follows;

******************************************************************
* The entity relationship diagram of the files outlined above is;*
*     ┌────────────┐      ┌────────────┐      ┌────────────┐     *
*     │ Individual │      │ Ind. Event │      │  Citation  │     *
*     ├────────────┤      ├────────────┤      ├────────────┤     *
*     │Id      (PK)├───┬─>┤Id+No.  (PK)├─┬───>┤Id+No.  (PK)│     *
*     │Name        │   └─>┤Id+Tag  (SK)├─(┬──>┤IdTagEv#(SK)│     *
*     │Sex         │      │Date        │ ││   │Source Id   ├─>(1)*
*     │Birth Date  │      │Place       │ ││   │Details     │     *
*     │Birth Place │      │Details     │ ││   │Apid        │     *
*     │Death Date  │      │Type        │ ││   │Ref Note Id ├─>(2)*
*     │Death Place │      │Ref Note Id ├─((─┐ │InlineRefId ├─>(2)*
*     │Child Family├──┐   │InlineNoteId├─((─┤ │Media Id    ├─>(3)*
*     │SpouseFamily├──(┐  │Media Id    ├─((┐│ └────────────┘     *
*     │Ref Note Id ├─┐││  └────────────┘ ││││ ┌────────────┐     *
*     │InlineNoteId├─┴((─────────────────(((┤ │    Note    │     *
*     │Media Id    ├─┐││  ┌────────────┐ ││││ ├────────────┤     *
*     └────────────┘ │││  │Family Event│ │││├>┤Id+No.  (PK)│     *
*  ┌─────────────────((┘  ├────────────┤ ││││ │Length      │     *
* ┌(─────────────────(┘┌─>┤Id+No.  (PK)├─┘│││ │Newline     │     *
* ││  ┌────────────┐ │ ├─>┤Id+Tag  (SK)├──┘││ └────────────┘     *
* ││  │   Family   │ │ │  │Date        │   ││                    *
* ││  ├────────────┤ │ │  │Place       │   ││                    *
* ││  │Id      (PK)├─(─┘  │Details     │   ││                    *
* │├─>┤Husband Id  │ │    │Type        │   ││                    *
* │└─>┤Wife Id     │ │    │Ref Note Id ├───(┤                    *
* │   │Child Id    │ │    │InlineNoteId├───(┤                    *
* └──>┤Child Id    │ │    │Media Id    ├───┤│ ┌────────────┐     *
*     │Ref Note Id ├─(─┐  └────────────┘   ││ │   Media    │     *
*     │InlineNodeId├─(─┴───────────────────(┤ ├────────────┤     *
*     │Media Id    ├─┴─(───────────────────┼(>┤Id      (PK)│     *
*     └────────────┘   │                   ││ │File        │     *
*     ┌────────────┐   │  ┌────────────┐   ││ │Form        │     *
*     │   Source   │   │  │ Repository │   ││ │Title       │     *
*     ├────────────┤   │  ├────────────┤   ││ │Ref Note Id ├─>(2)*
*(1)─>┤Id      (PK)│ ┌─(─>┤Id      (PK)│   ││ │InlineNoteId├─>(2)*
*     │_Author     │ │ │  │Name        │   ││ └────────────┘     *
*     │Publisher   │ │ │  │Address     │   ││                    *
*     │Repo Id     ├─┘ │  │Addr.Details│   ││                    *
*     │ReferenceNo.│   │  │Ref Note Id ├───(┤                    *
*     │APID        │   │  │InlineNoteId├───(┤                    *
*     │Repo Name   │   │  └────────────┘   ││                    *
*     │Call Number │   │                   ││                    *
*     │Ref Note Id ├───┤             ┌─────┘│                    *
*     │InlineNoteId├───┘        (3)─>┤ (2)─>┘                    *
*     │Media Id    ├─────────────────┘                           *
*     └────────────┘      Note: Gedcom,Header & Submitter omitted*
******************************************************************

Update; I have added notes for individual and family events, and am planning to add media objects in the coming days.