Database app for use in laboratory

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I'd like some recommendations for database software to use in a genetics lab, that can be accessed by all from a central server that we run ourselves.

So what we want is three separate databases, but preferably using the same software to keep things easy:
1. A database where we can input and index short text strings, ie. DNA primers, of ~15-120 characters, and associate various metadata with them (Date bought, user, functionality, etc.). We also need to be able to input a larger text string of up to a couple of thousand characters, and have the database return a list of any primer strings that match anywhere in the sequence entered.

2. A database for maintaining an overview of plasmids, ie. circular DNA. This could essentially be done in an excel sheet, but we'd like something that isn't as archaic, and much safer against file corruption (ie. due to being opened by multiple users and saved on a shared drive).

3. A database for maintaining an overview of seed stocks. Essentially the same as #2, but a separate database with different metadata.

I used to work in a lab where we used an old version of Filemaker for these things, and that worked fine, although the software was quite clunky due to how old it was. But it was made and maintained by a local, and we won't be able to get a copy. We'd also like something without a monthly cost, which is not available for Filemake anymore AFAICS. Accessible through a browser, or with clients for both macOS and Windows. Any suggestions to fill our basic needs?

 

[Euroamerican]

Sounds like FileMaker server and client access licenses is what you want, but you'd like to find an alternative that doesn't cost anything. Clouded or on-prem…


That’s your “wish for”, and a starting point to look for alternatives.


Does your company have Office 365 licenses with Microsoft Access available, “already paid for”; ones that could be utilized by the targeted group of database users? I assume that dbs could be created that could be used through web browsers, but haven't looked into that..

 

[Boyd01]

I still use that "really old version" of FileMaker Pro for many things. Before I retired in 2011, I created a complex database to manage all the purchasing, timesheets, contracts and other things to run my department. We had it on a local server so the whole staff could use it.

My old version broke after upgrading to Catalina, but I still use it in a MacOS Sierra virtual machine under Parallels. Works perfectly. My old license allowed you to install both a Windows and Mac version, and the Windows version still works fine under Windows 10 today.

I had been planning to "bite the bullet" and purchase the new version when I got a new Mac last summer, but when I saw how well it worked in a Sierra VM, I decided to save my money. But your assumption about only being available as a subscription is not correct. You can still get the standalone version for $540, their website can be confusing about this.

It's the "Individual Desktop Version" here. However, for your purpose, I wonder if the cloud version would really be a better choice? For a lab doing doing genetics research, is this really beyond your budget?

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