Graphical user interfaces for the management of scientific experiments and data

It is often stated that the three most important factors that determine the success or failure of a database system are performance, performance, performance! The experience of the last twenty years with relational systems has shown that at least one of these three references to performance implies that of end-users when interacting with the system to access data, i.e., user productivity. Although declarative query languages like SQL and QUEL represent major improvements over procedural programming languages like COBOL, the overall consensus is that they are too complex for many users. The need for more intuitive and easier to learn and use interfaces to database systems is always current.