The use of computer databases for storage and retrieval of carbon-14 data is a logical application for the rapidly expanding numbers of carbon-14 determinations. Harwell has established a database for all samples originating from sites in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The core of the data is the Council for British Archaeology's published Index of Radiocarbon Dates which is being expanded to include all Harwell UK dates released for publication by the submitters plus dates from other laboratories both within and outside the UK. As a demonstration of the feasibility of direct database-to-database communication, cooperation has been sought from Groningen and Oxford to transfer computer files containing carbon-14 results for UK sites. Neither of these laboratories use the same system as Harwell for their in-house database and this exercise highlights the importance of a transfer language for both the national and international schemes as it is no longer practical to carry out such procedures through keyboard typing.