Go to one of the Babase [:BabaseWikiAdminGroup:administrators] and ask for access. They will ask [:KarlPinc:Karl] or [:HunterMatthews:Hunter] to make you a username, so pick out the username you'd like. Typically Karl will create the Babase account that grants access to the database itself. Although it is not necessary it is often useful to have a Unix account on [:Papio:papio]. Hunter is the only one that can do this.
While your at it, it's a good idea to sign up on the [:BabaseMailingLists:Babase mailing lists], and get yourself a login on this wiki as well.
Yes, there are a lot of logins to keep track of. Each person has a login to the database, and possibly a Unix login on Papio, a login on this wiki, and an email address and password used to sign up for the mailing lists. All of these are different logins, with, possibly but not necessarily, different usernames and different passwords.
Queries, written in the SQL query langage, are used to obtain data from the database. It is highly recommended that users begin by reading the [http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.1/static/tutorial-sql.html tuitorial] on the SQL language found in the [http://www.postgresql.org PostgreSQL] [http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.1/static/index.html documentation]. Someday this wiki may have a short tuitorial using the Babase data itself, but there isn't one now so if you want to start one please go ahead. Meanwhile, try out some queries in the Babase [https://papio.biology.duke.edu/phpPgAdmin/ phpPgAdmin web interface] by clicking on the "SQL" link in the upper right hand corner after logging in and choosing the babase database, babase schema. To find your way around the various Babase databases read the Babase [http://papio.biology.duke.edu/babase_system_html technical documentation]'s sections on the [http://papio.biology.duke.edu/babase_system_html/ch02s01.html Babase databases] and [http://papio.biology.duke.edu/babase_system_html/ch02s02.html schemas].
Unfortuneately, at the present time downloading the results of a query requires the results be saved in a table. Each Babase user has his own area of the database, called a schema, where they can create their own tables. To save the results of a query into a table, "newtable", in your schema, add "INTO yourlogin.newtable" to your SQL query, as documented in the [http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.1/static/sql-selectinto.html SELECT INTO] documentation. The phpPgAdmin web interface can then transfer the contents of your new table to your desktop. Go into your schema, the one named with your database login, and click on the "newtable" table you just created. Click on the "Export" link at the upper right. Choose "Data Only" and a format of either "CSV" or "Tabbed" if you wish to use the data in Excel later.
The sections of the PostgreSQL documentation of initial interest are:
section I [http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.1/static/tutorial.html Tuitorial]
subsection I.2 [http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.1/static/tutorial-sql.html The SQL Language]
section II [http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.1/static/sql.html The SQL Language]
section VI [http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.1/static/reference.html Reference]
subsectin VI.I [http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.1/static/sql-commands.html SQL Commands]