Category Archives: Databases

You can’t have the perfect database without the people

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I know I keep banging on about databases but they really are wonderful things and should be one of your key organisational systems. It also means I get to play with putting numbers in boxes, which is always fun.

I’ve been working with two different infrastructure organisations lately using two different databases and inevitably it’s got me thinking about what staffing factors contribute to a successful database in an organisation.

Here are a few thoughts on what I think a project like this needs from its people:

Leadership – staff need to know that the decision to use a database – or start using a different one – has come from the top, is supported by a business case, has been chosen for a reason, will bring benefits to the organisation and is going to be used by managers to report on their work, demonstrate impact and secure funding. There needs to be leadership by example.

Training – adequate training and supporting help notes and tutorials are essential. Ideally everyone will have been through in person training and also has a way of raising questions after they’ve been using the system for a while. They need to know that problems can almost always be fixed and where to go for help if that happens.

Project lead – in the early stages there really needs to be someone who is constantly badgering staff to use the system. Someone who is there to offer gentle reminders on a daily basis and answer questions when people get stuck. It takes a few months for an action to become a habit so this time is key.

A recipe for the perfect database (AKA how not to get undercooked data)

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I was out and about in Wales last week training an organisation to use their new database. It got me thinking about what the elements of success might be for a project like that?

Over the last 6 years of working with voluntary organisations I’ve never seen anything give more pain – or more joy, well, that might be pushing it – than an organisation’s database.

It’s a tool that can be feared, hated and eventually ignored if things go bad, written off as an expensive mistake, but it doesn’t – and shouldn’t – have to be that way. In fact I’d go as far as saying that a well planned and managed database could be the best thing for your organisation. It will save time because everything is recorded in the same way and in the same place, it will make management easier because you’ll be able to see at the click of a button what is happening and it will be easier to raise funds because you can give reports to potential funders on the impact your work is having.

So what does it take for a database to work well?

Well, before you even see your database you should be spending time as an organisation talking about your data. What do you know about it? What’s your attitude to it? What do you need from it? This can be a time consuming process but once it’s done, it’s done and you are more likely to have something at the end that really works for you.

Ideally this kind of conversation will happen before you even choose a new database – so that it can inform your decision making – but it’s difficult to know that it’s something that needs to be done. One of those unknown unknowns.

What are the sorts of discussions you should be having before choosing or using your system?

The principles of data:

  • Do you understand your responsibilities as an organisation holding personal data?
  • Do the people you work with know – and give permission – for you to hold that data?
  • Do you have processes in place to ensure the privacy of your data?

The data you’re collecting:

  • How are you already collecting data?
  • On paper forms?
  • Over the phone?
  • At face to face meetings?
  • On who? Service users? Organisations? People? Funders? Volunteers?

What do you need to collect?

  • What sorts of things do you need to know to do your job? Attendance lists for events? Case notes for clients? Treatment history?
  • What information do you need to know for organisational management? Staff timesheets? Number of people reached? Numbers of sessions delivered?
  • What information do you need to give to your board/ funders etc?
  • What form does your information need to take? Demographic, numbers of attendees, age breakdown, average, median?
  • What might you need to collect in the future? Are you hoping to get a quality standard in which case you might need to collect a specific piece of information. Are requirements from your funder likely to change?

Only by knowing these things can you be sure – or at least more confident – that the system you are using meets your needs, and then, when you get to the training it’s all about how to use it in the best way possible, rather than seeing how it’s not going to work for you.

[I should add a disclaimer that I work with Lamplight Database Systems to train organisations on their Lamplight System. Even if I didn't work with them I'd still be suggesting you talk to them about your requirements. They are passionate about an effective voluntary sector and their part in achieving that is in supporting organisations' data management. They are also really nice people.]

You can find out more about Lamplight at www.lamplightdb.co.uk.

There are also some really helpful online resources on databases at: ww.ictknowledgebase.org.uk/databases

Database fun at CRM Summit

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I have a confession to make, I love databases. I’ve tried to ignore it for years but there’s just no escaping both my love of having things ordered, categorised and retrievable and the knowledge that well managed information is almost certainly at the heart of an effective organisation.

I ran a series of seminars last year for CEOs and trustees to help them think about how technology could be used to weather the current financial storm and one of the main aspects I focussed on was management of information, whether about staff, clients, donors, projects or funders.

The problem with databases is that they’re such a huge investment, both financially and in terms of buy in from staff. If you don’t get every step of the process right you’re likely to end up with a system that no one uses and so doesn’t work for your organisation.

In my session I suggested a few things that could help to make the process a success:

  1. Spend some time reviewing how you keep and use information in your organisation. Involve staff at all levels across the organisation in this discussion.
  2. Think about who your relationships are with. Are you talking to individuals or organisations?
  3. What kind of information do you use in your organisation and therefore what do you need to record? Do you need contact details? Financial details? Events they attend? Services people have used? Case histories?
  4. What kind of information do you need to extract for management reporting? What is being asked of you by funders or trustees?
  5. Talk to everyone in the organisation about how they use data, particularly those that will be responsible for inputting it.
  6. Keep it simple – don’t collect information you don’t need and remember that no one will use an over-complicated system.

The reason for my database musings is that I was at the Lasa CRM Summit last week, a showcase of three CRM systems; Salesforce, CiviCRM and Microsoft Dynamics.

All three systems have much of the same customer relationship functionality so which system is best for you – or one of the many other systems out there – depends on what’s important for your organisation.

CiviCRM has been built for the non profit sector and has a strong community of developers in the UK. There is good integration with Drupal and Joomla websites and it does much of what you would expect for a CRM. It is free to download but you may find that you need to work with a developer to customise it to your needs. There is a hosting charge for CiviCRM, which our speakers thought would be no more than £75 per month.

Microsoft Dynamics can be bought through the CTX scheme and would cost a “few” hundred pounds for charities. There is of course easier integration with existing systems if an organisation is using Microsoft products.

Salesforce is available to charities through the Salesforce Foundation; 10 free, active licenses to start with and then there’s an 80% discount on each subsequent one, about £240 per/ year for charities. The key selling points appear to be that all hosting, updates etc are done by Salesforce and are included in the license charge.

I didn’t come away from the event thinking that any one of these systems is better than the other as it depends on what you want it to do, but I thought you might find these little snippets useful.

If you do need some info on databases then the Knowledgebase is a great place to start: www.ictknowledgebase.org.uk/buyingadatabase.