I have several database products I use on the Mac.
  • Filemaker Pro -- Filemaker used to be owned by Apple but was spun off several years ago. Filemaker is about as powerful a relational database as you can find with exceptionally powerful and relatively easy to use report generation. It can even generate HTML reports. It is available as a stand alone client -- but that client can also act as portal to a Filemaker server that can handle a very large number of sumultaneous queries. There are also a large number of third party solutions for Filemaker so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. It is not cheap.
  • Bento -- by Filemaker is an easy to use single user database product with access to most if not all the standard Apple databases such as AddressBook, iCal, iPhoto, etc. It is however strictly single user as it is dependent on the Apple databases and files on the host machine.
  • Yojimbo -- by Bare Bones Software, is another single user database. It is very simple and easy to use with access capabilities much like those in Spotlight. There is no report generator and like Bento is strictly single user.
  • MySQL -- is a very powerful open source multiuser database server that runs on the Mac. NeoOffice and OpenOffice database modules can access the common MySQL database seerver. It does call for good knowledge of database design to create a successful operation. IMHO this one is free it is definitely not for the faint of heart or amateurs for that matter.

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein