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Data tables in the Global Palaeomagnetic Database
Click on the hyperlinks below to obtain listings of the columns in each database table. A table column can be referred to in an SQL query in the form TABLE.COLUMN (e.g. REFERENCE.AUTHORS)

 

Database structure: how the tables are linked together

The tables in the Global Palaeomagnetic Database are linked together using the table columns REFNO (reference number), ROCKUNITNO (rockunit number) and RESULTNO (palaeomagnetic result number). REFNO is present in both the REFERENCE and ROCKUNIT tables and serves to link related records in the two tables (referred to as REFERENCE.REFNO and ROCKUNIT.REFNO respectively). A single journal reference recorded in the REFERENCE table may link with several rockunits in the ROCKUNIT table. ROCKUNITNO is present in the ROCKUNIT and PMAGRESULT tables and links each rock unit record with one or more related palaeomagnetic results. RESULTNO identifies each unique palaeomagnetic result in the PMAGRESULT table. RESULTNO links records in the PMAGRESULT table with related records in the FIELDTESTS, CROSSREF and ALTRESULT tables. A single record in the PMAGRESULT table (PMAGRESULT.RESULTNO) may link with ONE record in the ALTRESULT table (ALTRESULT.RESULTNO) or several records in the FIELDTESTS and CROSSREF tables (FIELDTESTS.RESULTNO and ALTRESULT.RESULTNO respectively).

Tables can be linked together in an SQL query in the following way:

...WHERE REFERENCE.REFNO = ROCKUNIT.REFNO AND ROCKUNIT.RESULTNO = PMAGRESULT.RESULTNO...

The database structure is represented diagramatically below:

REFERENCE
Journal reference
Linking column: REFNO
ROCKUNIT
Position
Geology
Age
Structure
Linking column: ROCKUNITNO
PMAGRESULT
Result
Comments
Tests
Linking column: RESULTNO
FIELDTESTS
Detaild of field
tests
CROSSREF
Cross references to
other data lists
ALTRESULT
Alternative result