I strongly believe that databases for research (as opposed to databases to manage data for the public benefit) should be agenda-driven. The questions you want to answer may require some fields not commonly found in site inventories, such as the age of the landowner at purchase, the presence of faux cast-iron carriage lanterns, or the colours of inks used on maps ... I do recommend you look at MIDAS - details of this and other inventory standards and methodologies at: www.ads.ahds.ac.uk Best wishes, Pat (using Lotus Approach for a database of buildings, with a special interest in ethnicity) -- Pat Reynolds [log in to unmask] "It might look a bit messy now, but just you come back in 500 years time" (T. Pratchett)