Basically, there are two types of databases: relational and flat-file. Relational databases link to other databases, and flat-file databases are "self-contained." Think of it as the difference between an encyclopedia and a book on a particular topic. In the encyclopedia, there are cross-references that often go to other, separate volumes, but in a book on a topic, while you may have references to outside data, generally, everything you need in order to understand your topic is right there in the book you're reading.

Rather than comparing the multitude of special-interest programs out there, this review will compare the major players in the world of general Palm database programs. Since I was unable to test out Macintosh desktop applications, I can only tell you which products support that platform, but not how well they work with it. I have also elected to focus on those programs that are aimed at the end-user, rather than programs such as Satellite Forms and Marietta that are aimed at development environments. A summary of features and costs can be found in Table A.

Program	Cost	Type	Palm RAM required	Importing	Exporting	Field limit	Database limit
ThinkDB	Palm application free, desktop companion $39.95, dbSync $39.95	Relational	367K	Access, Comma-separated, Tab-separated, semi-colon separated, ODBC-compliant sources (with desktop companion)	Access, Comma-separated, Tab-separated, semi-colon separated	36	100
dbNow	$29.99	Flat-file	210K	Comma-separated, Tab-separated	Comma-separated, Tab-separated, HTML	250	32
HanDBase	$24.99	Relational	169K	Comma-separated	Comma-separated	30	100
MobileDB	$14.95	Flat-file	52K	Comma-separated, Tab-separated, Semicolon-separated, HTML	Comma-separated, Tab-separated, Semicolon-separated	20	60
JFile	$24.95, JFile/JfTrans Suite $41.98	Flat-file	104K	Access, Comma-separated, FileMaker (Mac), Excel	Access, Comma-separated, FileMaker (Mac), Excel	50	60
List	Free	Flat-file	25K	Comma-separated, Bookmarks	Word	2, plus Notes	12