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The International Seppala Association is getting started with its tasks. Of primary importance is the creation of an ancestry and pedigree records database. A factory-refurbished IBM Net Vista Pentium 4 1.8GHz computer has been purchased for use as a dedicated database server for WCAC and ISA records. Duplicate records will be maintained in Whitehorse and New Sharon, Maine, for safety.
Pedigree database software has been under evaluation by the Custodian of Records and the Secretary-Treasurer for some time. The Murrays have had extensive experience with "CompuPed" which was under consideration; however, the repeated postponement of the launch of the long-promised "Millennium version" of CompuPed finally led them to look for other alternatives. They finally opted for "Breeder's Assistant" which the Custodian says is proving very satisfactory.
The President has been busy for the past week in Whitehorse expanding the scope of the existing SSSD Project database preparatory to the transfer of ancestry data from FileMaker Pro on the Macintosh platform to Breeder's Assistant on Windows. The new computer has already been received; we are now working on the installation of software; then the challenging task of cross-platform data transfer can begin. It is not certain at this point how long the transfer will take. At the same time the Murrays have been at work on their Chinook ancestry data preparatory to transferring it from CompuPed to Breeder's Assistant.
Research is also taking place with a view to refining the guidelines that will eventually be used for the evaluation of percentage-Seppala stock for possible acceptance into the upgrade programme. Major concerns have been raised recently about one of the more widespread U.S. bloodlines of ISSSC percentage-Seppalas; it is felt that more detailed guidelines will be needed to deal with such concerns and to protect the integrity of the stud book and of the Seppala gene pool.
