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Finding and Correcting PAF Data Problems
(Article 29)
In all our research and compiling of genealogical data, one of our objectives is to work as efficiently as possible to avoid duplication of effort, misdirection of research, and missed opportunities of finding needed information. If we prepare our genealogical data for best matching and searching, we are more likely to target the records we are seeking, and avoid incorrect matching and misdirection. Preparing our genealogical data with some standards in mind will help us achieve our research goals more quickly and avoid costly mistakes. Whether we are searching genealogical databases, match-merging within PAF, or finding completed temple ordinances in TempleReady, the following data standard guidelines will increase our effectiveness in searching and matching.
PAF and other genealogical programs have two main data sections, Conclusion data and Evidence data.
Conclusion data (Individual Edit, Marriage Edit, Family Group and Pedigree Charts) is under your control. Here you declare the representative name, date, place, and relationships you have concluded by looking at all the evidence. It is this data that you should standardize for best searching of online databases and matching within PAF and TempleReady.
Evidence data (Source-Citations, Individual and Marriage Notes, and Photos), on the other hand, should remain faithful to the original historic documents. Capture the data as it is presented with misspellings, abbreviations, as-is punctuation, and the like. This is generally placed in the Actual-Text field of Sources or Citations. When you as a researcher/extractor are aware of additional information, you can include your observations in the Comments section of Sources or Citations, or occasionally within square brackets [extractor's additions] within the Actual Text field. When various source-citations conflict and need interpretation, use Individual or Marriage Notes to explain the apparent conflict and state the rationale for your conclusions.
Recommended Data Standards
Use the full birth-name of an individual without nicknames, alternate spellings, or previous married surnames. Visually scan the alphabetic listing within PAF or use the PAF alphabetic list report to catch variations.
When individuals have spellings in more than one language (immigrants) or have legally changed their name you may show the alternate names using an OR (Heinrich OR Henry, Schmidt OR Smith) or place the alternate name in rounded parenthesis, such as Heinrich (Henry), Schmidt (Smith). TempleReady and IGI will search for the alternate names and return any matching records.
Enter all names in upper and lower case (James McGregor, not James MCGREGOR) as normally presented in historic documents.
Use the alternate name fields in PAF for unofficial nicknames and name variations (only printed on Individual Summary Reports). Or use Notes or the additional Event/Attribute capability of PAF to declare alternate names (Options, New Event/Attribute, Naming).
Do not include slashes (James/Jabez) in names (see items 2 and 4 above). PAF-5 sees the slash as the beginning of a surname. In PAF-4, find and remove slashes from names using the Advanced Focus/Filter to search for names containing a "/".
When the wife's name is unknown, use "Mrs. and the husband's surname (Mrs. Hawkins). (see PAF Help). To find unknown individuals without records (no RIN), start with MRIN 1 and use the plus (+) on your numeric keypad to advanced sequentially through the MRIN sequence. Look to see if an "unknown" appears in the husband or wife location without a RIN. If it is a female, double-click on her location and give her a name (Mrs. Hawkins).
When the husband's name is unknown use "unknown" (lower case) as his name to create a record (this gives him a RIN). Having a record (with a RIN and unique record serial number in PAF-5) is important when using the automatic match-merge in PAF-5. (Note: you can also perform an automatic match-merge in PAF-4 if every AFN has a unique number).
Use the standard form for dates of Qualifier-Day-Month-Year (Abt 22 Mar 1789). Many searching algorithms look for this format and will try to find the year at the end of the date even if it cannot interpret the full date as presented. Use Notes or a Tagged-Note (e.g., BIRTH:) to explain any special circumstances.
Use the standard form for places of lowest jurisdiction to highest jurisdiction with each level separated by a comma and a space (Oakland, Alameda, California, USA). Do not abbreviate place names (USA is an exception). Always include the country as the last level of the place. Review PAF Help for recommended standards on place names. One source for full spellings of place names is the Family History Library Catalog - place name search. Another convenient source is Cyndi's List (www.cyndislist.com) under Gazetteers.
Do not include cemeteries, hospitals, and other institutional names as part of the place name. But do include parish names. (See PAF Help).
When you have an "of" place ( of, Bramley, Yorkshire, England), use a lower-case "of" and separate the "of" by a comma from the rest of the place hierarchy. Most searching and matching routines consider "of Bramley" (with no comma separation) to be different than "Bramley". Separating the "of" will help in better matching.
Review the PAF Possible Record Problems report and resolve as many data inconsistencies as you can (problems with surname, date ranges, date sequences, order of children in the family, temple ordinances performed when temples were closed, etc.). Consistent and logical personal data will produce a more consistent and accurate match.
Children should be in the correct order within a family. If they are not, use Edit, Order-Children and adjust the order with the up-down arrows in PAF.
Standardize all temple codes to the new 5 character alphabetic standard. The easiest way to find non-standard temple codes is to export a Gedcom file and then import that file into an empty PAF database (. The Gedcom import report will list non-standard temple codes. Then use the Advanced Focus/Filter to find any-temple with the code listed in the report.
If an individual is poorly identified and therefore should not be submitted for temple work, place the keywords "Research 3000" in the date field of each ordinance (baptism, endowment, sealing to parents, and sealing to spouse). This will "fake" PAF and TempleReady into thinking that the ordinance is done and therefore PAF will not submit the ordinance until you clear the field, giving you time to do more research. Likewise, TempleReady will bypass these individuals and not consider them when performing an Update My Records function or Temple Submission. This (3000 Research) should be used if there is missing, incomplete, conflicting, or insufficiently documented information in the individual or marriage record.
You may also want to use PAF-Pal to help you clean up data problems. PAF-Pal is a PAF add-on written by the lead-programmer responsible for producing PAF. It includes some very useful features.
Global search and replace for places, and temple codes. Names and dates search and replace are part of PAF.
Clear all Custom-ID fields, AFNs, all LDS fields, or LDS ordinance dates with "submitted".
Expand US states, Canadian province, and British county abbreviations to full spellings.
Add (or remove) USA to all place names with full spelling states. (... California becomes ... California, USA).
Report which record have changed for individuals since a certain date (since last submission or export).
Report the median age of individuals in your database (male, female, total).
Count the descendants on file for a specific individual in the pedigree.
Allow PAF to search the web at , and in addition to
Place a different bullet (in place of the descendant-arrow) next to children that are married but have no children listed.
Play genealogical songs with the words.
Remember, cleaner, more standardized data means more targeted searching and better matching.
© Provided by Computer Genealogy Specialists , www.cgslink.com
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29 Finding and Correcting PAF Data Problems
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