Managers and executives need the easy and quick access to business and management information that online databases can provide, but many have difficulty articulating their search needs to an intermediary. One possible solution would be to encourage managers and their immediate support staff members to search textual databases directly as they now use timesharing services and numeric data. Information services companies are inventing systems which mesh more easily with existing executive habits, and terminals are appearing more frequently on managers' desks and in their immediate departments. Electronic mail services are beginning to bridge the gap between decision makers and textual data as they provide online access to current awareness services, bulletin boards, bank stock prices, indexes to current financial opinion and analyses of bank performance, morning stock market comments and news briefs, and the full text of trade publications. Challenges posed by these developments include ease of use, customer support, appropriate databases, copyright concerns in reformatting and reuse, time to search, and the role of information specialists in accelerating these trends. Meeting these challenges in a productive way will require innovative thinking, experimentation, and a willingness to take risks. (DMC)