This discussion of the development of database management systems specifically created to support qualitative research identifies two main problems in qualitative approaches, i.e., the issues of data collection and analysis, and the cumbersome nature of traditional qualitative approaches. These problems are reviewed with a comparison of the methods of manual data management and computerized data management approaches. The paper concludes with a discussion of several different uses of computer assistance in managing qualitative data and the identification of particular software programs for use in qualitative research. A 40-item reference list and a description of an integrated, menu-driven microcomputer system for managing text-based qualitative data--QUALPRO 3.1--are included. (RP)