The Structural Ceramics Database (SCD) is being developed to provide a user-friendly, computerized database of materials properties for advanced ceramics. The acquisition and the maintenance of adequate and comprehensive data are two of the critical concerns that must be addressed in establishing a state of the art system. This paper describes the basic SCD format used for data on monolithic ceramics. This format prescribes a comprehensive means for tabulating, annotating, and crediting data. The experience gained in developing this format for the SCD is discussed in the context of the issues confronting ASTM Committee E-49 on Computerization of Materials Property Data.