Why are there multiple swimming databases?
What is the purpose of each database?
By far the most frequently asked questions about the Potomac
Valley Swimming website concern swimming databases. Questions
incude why there are more than one database? What are their
purposes? Why are certain swims not in a certain datbase?
How does incorrect or old information show up in the
database?
This page will attempt to answer those questions by describing all the various databases (there are three of them), their purpose, and where they get their data.
USA Swimming SWIMS Database
The USA Swimming SWIMS database is the official database of USA Swimming. It is the registration database for USA Swimming and contains all sanctioned swims. It is loaded by the LSC that sanctioned or hosted the meet.
This Database Contains
- all sanctioned USA Swimming meets
- many observed swims (e.g. H.S. and College Championship observed swims)
- all approved meets (e.g. the Black History Meet)
This Database Does Not Contain
- any 25 yard swims
- any 100 yard relay swims
Purpose of this Database
- Verification of times for national meets
(and in the future, local meets) - Compilation of Top 16 lists
The PVS Database - TMOnline
The Team Manager Online database is Potomac Valley's locally-maintained database. It's purpose is to give PVS swimmers, parents, and coaches easy access to times of Potomac Valley Swimmers. It is not the official USA-S database, so it cannot be used as proof of time for meet entries. This database is loaded from post-meet databases, and is subject to any errors (in names, times, etc) that are in those databases. It does not automatically track changes in team affiliation, although all swims are recorded to the team listed in the meet database. A Frequently Asked Questions has been written that explains a lot about the capabilities and limitations of this database.
This Database Contains
- All swims by swimmers registered to Potomac Valley in
sanctioned USA Swimming Meets
(including meets in other LSCs) - All 25Y swims and 100Y relay swims not included in the USA Swimming database
This Database Does Not Contain
- Swims by non-PVS swimmers (even at PVS hosted meets)
- Swims from observed and approved meets
Purpose of this Database
- A backup to the national database
- Record of 25Y and 100Y relay swims
- A way for PVS coaches, parents and swimmers to track and compare PVS-only times
The Zones Top Ten Database
The Zones Top Ten database is used to track times for the selection of the PVS Short Course Zone team. It contains times for the current short course season only. It does not contain swims or swimmers that are not eligible for the zone team (e.g. national meet qualifiers).
This Database Contains
- All eligible swims by PVS swimmers in sanctioned USA-S
meets
(inside or outside of PVS) - Eligable observed swims that have been requested
to be added
(they are not automatically loaded due to the difficulty in doing so)
This Database Does Not Contain
- Swimmers or swims that are not eligible for the zone team
- Observed swims, unless specifically requested (see above)
Purpose of this Database
- Selection of the PVS Short Course Zone team only
If you've made it this far, we hope you have a better understanding of the multiple databases, what they do and how they work. Read the instructions and FAQs associated with each database to find out more. The Internet allows us to provide near instant access to all this data.
It takes multiple people in PVS to maintain all these databases for your use. And, each database has a different primary PVS volunteer that is responsible for its care and upkeep.