Babase Training Course

Before you can successfully retrieve data from Babase with full understanding of what the data mean, you will need to familiarize yourself with the data collection methods, the nuances of the data, SQL, and the workings of the database itself.

Step 1: Familiarize yourself with the data. Take at least two to three work days to read and orient yourself to the paper data that come in from the field. We may request that you spend more than two or three days at this.

Step 2: Read the Monitoring Guide for the Amboseli Baboon Research Project, available on this page, to obtain an understanding of the field protocols employed to obtain the project’s data. You needn't memorize it, but you should be familiar-enough to know what kind of information is in it, in case you need to refer to it in the future. Then, go back to the data you looked at in Step 1 and have another look with new eyes. Feel free to also peruse the ABRP website and our bibliography.

Step 3: Take this online SQL course. Or another free SQL course that you might find online, if you prefer. You should pass the test before moving on to the next step. This will help you learn to write Babase queries more effectively and efficiently.

Regardless of the SQL course you use, you should become familiar with the following phrases or concepts, at least:

It may be useful to you to refer to the official PostgreSQL documentation for help with specific questions. (If reading that feels like drinking from a fire hose, feel free to ignore it.)

Step 4: Read The Babase System Technical Specifications to orient you to the tables, views, and inner workings of Babase. Everyone should read Chapter 1 Introduction, most of Chapter 2 Babase System Architecture (you can skip the last sections, beginning with Special Values), and the Group Membership and Life Events sections of Chapter 3 Baboon Data: Primary Source Material, Chapter 4 Baboon Data: Analyzed, Chapter 5 Support Tables, & Chapter 6 The Babase Views. You will also want to read any other sections of Chapters 3 through 6 that are relevant to your research questions. You needn't--and indeed, shouldn't--read every word of these specifications. Similar to step 2, you should become familiar-enough to know what kind of information is in it so you can refer to it in the future. It may be helpful to think of a research question--a question you actually have, or another one you made up for this exercise--and which kinds of data you'd need to answer that question, then to search the tech specs for information about where and how those data are stored.

Step 5: You are now ready to get started with Babase. Visit that page for information about getting a login for Babase. You should probably do the other things indicated on that page, unless you have a specific reason not to.

Sign up for the Babase mailing list to keep you informed on important Babase alerts and information. If you have been added to the "ABRP Collaborations" Slack group, consider joining the "babase" channel there. However, the mailing list is a more-reliable avenue for information than the Slack channel.

Read the Babase Best Practices. We strongly suggest bookmarking it so that you can easily refer back to it in the future.

Step 6: Take the Babase Quiz. Contact Jake or Niki if you have questions, or when you're ready to submit your answers.

Once you have passed the quiz, you are ready to begin working in Babase. While using the database, please keep in mind the tips and suggestions given in the Babase Best Practices.

To keep from tying up Babase, please remember to limit the returns on new, difficult queries by adding “limit 100” to the end of your queries until you are sure they work. If you do run a query that gets hung up in Babase, please alert Jake or Niki so it can be killed ASAP. Good luck and we hope you’ll enjoy your time with the Amboseli Baboon Research Project!

BabaseTrainingCourse (last edited 2023-08-10 15:19:23 by JakeGordon)

Wiki content based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 0323553 and 0323596. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the wiki contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.