As you become familiar with the fields of the database and how to manipulate them through the data entry screens you may want to learn to use the tools the Postgres database manager provides for manipulation of the database.

SQL is a programming language that allows records to be added, deleted, and modified to/from the database. It makes adding large quantities of records (for example, if a new beam line is added to the system) very easy to do. Consult the Postgres manuals for more information.

All of the reports described in this manual are generated using SQL, some of the UNIX tools, and a report written in C. Examine the report scripts provided with the system for examples.

For more information on SQL, visit http://www.postgres.org/docs/ as well as other online or printed documentation.