Pat,

As a person who uses FileMaker Pro a lot (I'm a database specialist), I
would recommend it as a way to avoid the "evil giant".  It's very user
friendly and easy to learn and it allows you to create relational databases.
 I used it for my master's thesis data collection (skeletal material) and
its very flexible.  I'm not sure how much it is in the UK, but over here
it's pretty cheap.  If you'd like more info, just holler.

Cheers,
Diane Houdek

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