dBASE III Plus and the MARC AMC Format: Problems and Possibilities

As archives with smaller holdings adapt to the MARC AMC data format, they will need to explore the utility of various commercially-available, microprocessorbased, data base management systems. This article presents four approaches to using the AMC format in dBASE III Plus, the best selling of these systems. The discussion of the limitations and possibilities of the four approaches demonstrates that while there is no inherent incompatibility between dBASE and the MARC format, the most efficient use of a dBASE-MARC system requires considerable programming.