How to Link to External Database

Question

I can't figure out a good way to keep track of photos within Lightroom that I submit for contests, sales, etc. I could make comments in the caption metadata field, but that would mess up my caption field and is not that flexible. I could color code, but that's very limited. It seems like the ideal way would be to create an external database with something such as Microsoft Access. Using  the Filename as the primary field, I would link it to additional fields, date submitted, where sent to, type (contest, stock sale, gift, etc.), price obtained, published date, etc. Then I could see the history of any given image, run queries for all images submitted to a particular place where amount is > $0, etc.
As this is just a hobby and the numbers are small, I could just enter all the data by hand, but if I ever enjoy a lot of commerical success it would be nice if the database integrated with Lightroom. Ideally the queries run would not only show the Filename, but also show photos, perhaps as a Collection in Lightroom. It seems there must be professionals that track such information. Perhaps there is a third party program that does this. I'd appreciate any suggestions.
Dan

Answer 1

I think Access would be better in the event a given photo is used multiple times. Suppose a particular photograph sold at iStockPhoto.com for $1 on 22 occasions, at a local gallery as a 5 x 7" print for $2 on 14 occasions, as an 8 x 10" print for $8 on 9 occasions, and on one's own web page for $3 on 9 occasions, plus published in Pop Photo on 4/17/03. To make custom fields in Lightroom would be onerous, and it couldn't do the math for you. In Access one could use one to many tables (tblPrintSize, tblWebSite, tblSellerType, etc.) to track this fairly easily. The only time consuming part would be entering each sale if one had a lot of them. Of course one could choose to enter quarterly or yearly sales instead if desired.
Queries and reports would show where one's income is derived, what formats sell best, etc. It might help in tax preparation.
This may be more power than professional photographers would ever want. It's probably a fantasy that won't come true that it will ever be an issue for me, but I like to be proactive on data management before it becomes unmanageable.