The search-ability of the ATP Database is one of the things that makes it really special.
Want a light blue TB with purple based foliage? Go to the Iris Database and click "Search by characteristics" as Greg explained above and click the boxes for Tall Bearded under Classification, Light Blue under Bloom Color, and Purple Base under Foliage and you'll get a list of tall bearded irises with light blue flowers and purple based foliage.
Want to see Keith Keppel's plicatas? Type Keppel in the Hybridizer field and click the box for Plicata under Flower Patterns and there they are.
In many ways, the Iris Database is extremely complete. If an iris has been registered by AIS, it should be in the database already (not counting the 2014 registrations, information on them isn't available online yet). Dave was also able to import a lot of information for many of the entries. Most irises registered from 1950 through 2012 already have the Hybridizer, Year of Registration, Year of Introduction, Seedling Number, Classification, Hardiness, Registered Height, and Parentage fields filled in. Information on some other fields, like Flower Color and Flower Form, had to be added manually. At lot of work has been done on that, but much remains. All of the information on irises register prior to 1950 is going to have to be added manually, that's going to take awhile.
Brad mentioned above, or in another thread, the hyperlinks in the Parentage and Child Plants fields. That's an amazing feature if you are interested in hybridizing or tracing the background of irises.
