Operating experience with the relational patient database.

Our three years of experience in the routine use of a relational database for patient admissions is discussed. Following a brief summary of the principles and structures of the patient database, the problems of relational data manipulation languages (DML) and query languages are discussed in more detail. Experience with the physical representation of the data base is discussed. Our experience shows that a relational database, due to its structural clarity, offers clear advantages: data independence from user applications is achieved with a relational DML. The descriptive query language has end user acceptance problems. Possible reasons for these acceptance problems are analysed in more detail.