Abstract
A major problem in biology is the storage and retrieval of biological data in a meaningful and efficient manner. With the advent of mass sequencing projects, such as the human genome project, the need to store, retrieve, and analyze sequence data is stronger than ever before. The following thesis tackles a small part of this problem by presenting techniques, models, and applications for productively storing and retrieving a set of related viral sequences in a central data bank. The thesis begins by providing an overview of the relational database and its role in storing biological data. The main chapter of the thesis is a description of a novel relational database application (EIAV DB). EIAV DB is a central repository of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus sequence and feature information. The models and application provide insight into technologies that help alleviate the storage and retrieval problem.