3.4 BENEFITS OF USING STANDARD FORMATS analysis, including the categorisation of the event and the various related pieces of information.  design of the information gathering tool: the standard formats used in the design of a database may also influence the tools used in information gathering. For instance, a questionnaire for interviewing could be designed so as to be consistent with the data entry form in a computerised database. 3.5 DIFFERENT KINDS OF DATABASES A database may consist of only one file, or a set of related files. In technical terms, databases can be simple or complex. Definition A Linear or simple database contains information on just one type of entity - for instance, on victims. In this kind of database, there is just one database file. Definition A Relational or complex database consists of two or more files - each file contains information on the same type of entity. Together, the whole database consists of information on the various entities and their relationships. While all databases are in one way or another structured in that they consist of records, databases are now also classified as to whether they are structured or textual. Definition A Structured database is a linear or relational database that generally makes extensive use of fields, dividing the information into small pieces. Definition In a Textual database, usually the text of a whole document is entered into the computer, and that document is then considered as one single record. In other words, the text is contained in one large field that composes the whole record. There are no other fields, or if there are, they are very minimal (possibly only the title and other identifying data). Structured and textual databases require different techniques of searching. 3.6 DATA ENTRY There are several possible types of entries in the various fields in a standard format: Definition Identifier: a term that refers to specific persons, organisations, events, objects or places, such as names and titles as well as document identification numbers. Recording these identifiers is usually done by following certain rules. For instance, names of persons are entered with the surnames first. 25