pali-canon-db

Download the databases

Download the pre-uploaded databases:

1. Go to the project's repository on GitHub: link to repository
2. Navigate to the "Databases" folder.
3. Download the desired database files.

Navigating the Pali Canon Database

This database contains a comprehensive collection of texts from the Pali Canon, along with their translations and related metadata. Below is a guide on how to navigate and use this database effectively.

Database Structure

The database consists of five main tables:

1. Authors
2. Languages
3. TextInfo
4. LeafLineage
5. Translations

Authors Table

This table contains information about the authors of the translations.

• author_uid: Unique identifier for each author
• author_short: Short name or abbreviation for the author
• author_fullname: Full name of the author

Languages Table

This table lists the languages used in the database.

• lang: Language code
• lang_name: Full name of the language

TextInfo Table

This table contains metadata about each text in the Pali Canon.

• uid: Unique identifier for each text
• parent_uid: Identifier of the parent text (for hierarchical organization)
• blurb: Brief description of the text
• original_title: Title in the original language
• translated_title: Translated title
• acronym: Acronym or short code for the text
• difficulty: Indicates the difficulty level of the text
• basket: Specifies which basket of the Pali Canon the text belongs to
• root_lang_name: Name of the original language
• root_lang: Code of the original language
• type: Type or category of the text

LeafLineage Table

This table shows the lineage or hierarchy of texts.

• uid: Unique identifier of the text (corresponds to TextInfo.uid)
• lineage: Represents the hierarchical path of the text

Translations Table

This table contains the actual translations of the texts.

• id: Unique identifier for each translation
• uid: Identifier of the original text (corresponds to TextInfo.uid)
• lang: Language code of the translation
• lang_name: Full name of the translation language
• author_uid: Identifier of the translator (corresponds to Authors.author_uid)
• file_path: Path to the translation file
• text: The translated text content

Querying the Database

To navigate and query the database effectively, consider the following approaches:

1. Finding a specific text: Use the TextInfo table to search by uid, original_title, or translated_title.

2. Exploring the canon structure: Use the LeafLineage table in conjunction with TextInfo to understand the hierarchical organization of texts.

3. Retrieving translations: Join the Translations table with TextInfo to get translations for specific texts.

4. Finding works by a specific author: Use the Authors table joined with Translations to find all translations by a particular author.

5. Exploring texts by difficulty or type: Query the TextInfo table using the difficulty or type fields to find texts of a particular category or complexity level.

Example SQL query to get all translations of a specific text:

SELECT t.text, t.lang_name, a.author_fullname
FROM Translations t
JOIN TextInfo ti ON t.uid = ti.uid
JOIN Authors a ON t.author_uid = a.author_uid
WHERE ti.original_title = 'Your Text Title Here';

This structure allows for flexible navigation and querying of the Pali Canon texts, their translations, and associated metadata.