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This article describes the considerations a special library must address before building a database. It is based on the practical experiences of the Comstow staff and some actual situations in our clients' libraries. Rapid retrieval of citations on a demand basis followed by instant availability of the full documents is given highest priority. Providing software that will meet a variety of database needs has given Comstow Information Services many interesting problems to solve. The ways in which unique materials might be presented bibliographically often call for trial entries into the database before a standard is established. Examples will illustrate some of these cases and the reasons why software flexibility is critical. In addition to general guidelines and specific examples, this article includes some suggestions on retrospective conversions.