MONTANA RIVERS INFORMATION SYSTEM 

 Rivers Report 



4. Locate areas that have abundant elk. 



5. Find areas where a specific type of geologic feature (e.g. fault zones, 

 glacial moraines, type sections) is present. 



To use Ad Hoc queries you ^vill need a fairly good working 

 knowledge of the MRIS database structures and be able to write search 

 expressions in dBase m style. Specifically, you must determine which of the 

 several MRIS databases (see Appendix B) you need to use and the name of the 

 field, or fields, you wish to search. 



For instance, if you were conducting the search for grizzly bear core habitat 

 areas, you would need to use the Wildlife Species database, search the 'SPECIES' 

 field for 'grizzly bear', and search the 'TE_VAL' field for the parameter indicating 

 core habitat. 



The Design Your Own Query screens will help you construct the query by 

 leading you through the important steps. However, a word of warning is 

 necessary here. Ad Hoc queries are definitely advanced database 

 operations that will not work unless they are constructed correctly. 



We suggest you familiarize yourself thoroughly with the MRIS databases, what 

 fields they contain, how the data were collected, how the data should be 

 interpreted,. etc., before you try to construct complex Ad Hoc queries. 



A good way to become familiar with the MRIS databases is to look through 

 Appendix B of this manual and the Rivers Study Final Report. Any database and 

 field listed in Appendix B can be used to construct Ad Hoc searches, and the 

 Final Report will show you how the data have been interpreted and used. 



As far as learning how to write search expressions, you can activate the 

 online help while you're in the Ad Hoc screens and examine the examples 

 provided. With a little practice and patience, you will be able to create very 

 focused and effective queries. The following example on grizzlies core habitat will 

 be used to help you learn how to use the Ad Hoc query option. 



SELECTING THE REPORT CONTENT. Choose the 'Select/Change 

 records in report' from the opening screen. From the screen in Figure 25, 

 choose 'Design Your Own Query'. 



Page 25 



