It hardly needs saying that the act of creating a digital historical database involves the process of converting information from one format (paper) to another (digital). This conversion process is ultimately the essence of creating the resource, and those embarking on the endeavour need to think very hard about exactly what it is they are about to do. Talking to others who have gone through similar processes in related disciplines, reading appropriate literature, and evaluating and using a range of database technologies are possible initial starting points. The much-used maxim 'Garbage In - Garbage Out' is, unsurprisingly, appropriate here as the decisions taken and methodology employed in this critical stage of the resource's development, define the future value and usefulness of the resource. Bad judgements and fudged decisions at the design stage are almost always amplified in the final product which, at best, can make the database extremely problematic to use and, at worst, completely worthless.

In most cases, creating a historical database that has real benefit to the scholarly community is not particularly difficult. Ultimately what is required from the creator is a sound design, the application of absolute consistency and comprehensive documentation. In fact, consistency and documentation will be over-riding themes in this guide - they are extremely important. Creators should think about the database design as a conceptual framework that outlines the process of conversion from paper to digital. The design stage dictates in what way and in which forms the digital version represents the original paper source. This chapter therefore intends to guide creators through some of the issues involved in this conversion process, to ensure that their creation benefits both them and potential users to the maximum possible extent. Needless to say, what are presented in this chapter are not hard-and-fast rules, but rather guidelines which creators are encouraged to adopt, adjusting them for their own needs and situation.