"Statement has no effect"

[metulburr]

When it says "entry1:1" I assume the "entry1" (the key) is my variable name, and I assume the "1" is the value of that variable. Is that correct?

Yes

How/where do I load the database for the first time, like {MS: M, StartYear: 2017, ........}

The easiest method would be to write it in JSON (dictionary) format in the first place.