Figure 1

Diagram of main tables and linked resources. The Database (blue) with the central sequence table (cyan), important associated tables (white) and connected systems are shown. Lines connecting tables depict table relations. Arrows depict flow of information. FASTA files containing sequence alignments are imported and exported using Ruby [16] scripts. The import function uses the BioRuby [17] library. Other databases are referenced via their IDs, which are used to generate hyperlinks to records on their web sites. Automated processes are started by a delegation server, which receives instructions from the database on insert or update of records. The automated processes write information into the database using Active Record. The frontend is generated using the Ruby on Rails [10] web application framework.