In this article the author recommends a hierarchically structured data base, called MemoMaster, as a mighty tool to replace traditional card indexes in the preparatory stage of onomastic research. Referring to Karlheinz Hengst’s exemplary monograph on place names in the South-West of Saxony, he demonstrates how MemoMaster enables the scholar to store and structure information in folders, subfolders, and “memos“ to be utilized in a manuscript later on. His explanation is supported by two screenshots.