By “relational”, we mean that all the data is connected, linked, or “related” by variety names, experiment names, data field names, and more, through a system of linked and indexed files. For Generation II, we call this a “research group” of well over 300 such files. Consequently, there is no one file that holds all the data for a given experiment. This is entirely different from software systems that simply process independent, “flat” files. This offers many advantages not possible or difficult to implement when working only with flat files. There are many significant advantages, like instantly viewing all the data for any given variety, or showing all the plots in all years where a variety was planted, or displaying data in a breeding program down past generations for any genotype or population. You can also quickly view just the data for an entire location, or year, or group of experiments, or easily compare one variety against another across years and locations. Or, you can analyze data from many experiments quite readily and quickly. And there are still more advantages.

The few apparent disadvantages are the result of that fact that no single file has all the data for an experiment or trial: access time for an experiment’s data might be longer than simply opening a flat file directly, and sharing or receiving data with someone else means that the data must be exported and imported. However, we have developed proprietary algorithms and an efficient “engine” to quickly display the data and also efficient data import and export facilities. All things considered, the advantages clearly outweigh any disadvantages.

Yes. The research data explorer, which is a visual, hierarchical representation of your experiments, trials, nurseries, populations, hybrids, and more permits direct and simple point-and-click access to your data. There is no need to remember and search for file names and directories. You save time.

Generation II has an extensive file import system to facilitate the import of all your data. Several file types are supported, including text files. The most common file types are Excel® and dBase®, which are most readily accommodated in the import process. If you have files that are quite similar in terms of the data fields or columns, Generation II even lets you create import “profiles” or “templates” to reduce the import process to a few keystrokes. Typically, you would first import all current data for experiments and nurseries “in progress”, and then import data from past years as you have time.

Excel® files are widely used, and therefore we have developed an efficient interface to accommodate that file type. Entire experiments, nurseries, trials, locations, or any grouping of experiments, may be easily imported and exported, or just their data may be routinely imported during a season.

To begin, you can send us some of your data files and we can import them and create a research group that we can then send to you so you can begin to understand the software with your own data. Many of our clients have appreciated this, since we are then able to provide more focused technical support, knowing their specific needs. We also have demo videos that will demonstrate the software to you. See: Videos for more Information.

Yes, we conduct regional training courses for different areas of the world. The courses are designed to bring the trainees to a solid, basic level of proficiency in using Generation II. We have also conducted special training courses just for seed companies, government research centres, and universities. This way, a group of researchers at the same organization are trained to effectively use the software and get off to an excellent start. Strictly speaking, training is not necessary since we will support our clients in using the software in any way that we can, yet many clients have appreciated training courses. For more information, see: Courses

To begin with, you can declare all your data fields or traits with your names and attributes that are specific to your research program. Labels, field books, and reports can be designed specifically for you. The research data explorer, which access all the data and genotypes or treatments, will directly reflect the organizational structure of your research program.

No. Generation II is a comprehensive software solution. Instead of moving your data between spreadsheets, databases, statistics packages, and other software systems with often numerous files, you just work within one integrated system. Many common statistical routines are built right into our system, so you don’t need a statistics package unless you use less common, more numerically intensive statistical analyses. Final result: you save time, money, and effort.

Yes, password protection permits only restricted access to your research data.

Yes. In addition to the usual numeric and character data, you can also store and display images of varieties, experiments, disease reactions, rating scales, growth stages of a variety of experiment, and so forth. “Visual data” can be very important in a research program, especially when comparing many genotypes for appearance or remembering what an experiment was like in a previous year. For more information, see: Modules for more information.

Some research programs have a small window of time for data analysis, especially breeding programs that must promote material to an off-season nursery in a matter of weeks. With time at a premium, you can analyze a trial at, say, 20 locations with 50 traits on average per location – 1000 ANOVAs with just a few keystrokes. The December 2005 version of Generation II will permit even larger groups of analyses to be completed with a few keystrokes. Plus, all the means are automatically stored in Generation II for immediate reporting and further analyses. More time to study the results means less pressure and better research decisions.