AbstractThe word 'database' has gone through the buzzword stage and has gained currency as a term covering a wide range of related facilities and techniques. Its apearance in the microcomputer world has therefore aroused confusion as well as interest. Most products are, however, aids to data management or solutions to some particular set of data management problems. This paper attempts to deal with some of the issues and problems underlying data management on micros and to review some current offerings on the market.