I need a database - 6 questions to ask

Data is increasingly the lifeblood of the voluntary sector, we are asked to produce reports on every aspect of our work and need to account for the publics funds we have been awarded. Increasingly these reports are moving away from activities undertaken, toward measuring the outcomes achieved through those activities.

filesThis means that many older database solutions, often home grown, do not meet the needs of the new thirst for data.

Many systems that work for small commercial organisations are unsuited to LIOs because of the differing needs. It is unlikely that a small business will be asked to produce reports on the economic state of the commercial sector.

Increasing numbers of proprietary databases aimed at the sector are springing up. Most of these are variants of CRM (Client Relationship Management) systems. These systems can record each communication you have with an organisation/individual and provide you with reports that will detail how you have progressed that relationship.

At the heart of the process of selecting a database there are few questions that should be considered.

These 6 questions will guide the design of the specification

What reports do I want from my database?

Consider the various stakeholders and the reports that they need. For example

• Your staff will want a list of the organisations and contacts that is accurate and reliable. They will want to be able to record their work easily and quickly (preferably without them having to do any thing extra) and to be able to evidence their work for their own supervision meetings and reports.

• You will want to see the communications between your organisation and a specific group as you help them to become involved in the interfaith community, especially if you need to evidence this to a funder.

• Your trustees will want to know how many members there are, how many are active, how many have been contacted this month, last month etc.
• Your members will want to have access to a mailing list that is accurate and accessible.
• Your managers will want to see how many groups have been contacted this week, this month etc.
• Local authorities may wish to find out how many faith groups exist by post code, by area etc.
• Your funders will need to see evidential reports of outcomes and how the money invested in your organisation has bought benefits

Who will use the database

With most modern databases individual users will need to sign in, this is to both protect the data but also to protect your data subjects. This however means that many databases are sold by the seat. i.e. you will pay for the basic system and then a 10 user license etc.

In an ideal world every person who needs to access the database should have a license. This means that you can identify who has made changes on the system, manage performance and demonstrate compliance in keeping data secure.

Where will people be when they access the database? We live in an internet age where people expect to have data available to them whenever they need it. If they just need data to be visible but not editable, then a simple web directory can be created that updates from a database. If, however, they need to be able to access the data from home or an organisations premises then a full web interface may be needed.

The benefit of being able to access the data remotely can include the ability for workers to update an organisations record while they are talking to an organisation in their own premises. It can mean data can be updated out of office hours, at an AGM etc. it also allows for people to work from home. This is likely to be an increasingly common requirement as the green agenda aims to reduce travel.

How will I keep the data current and accurate?

This is a killer question, because most databases are out of date. How many contacts do you have in your mobile phone that you suspect are wrong or out of date. The only way to keep data up to date is to check the data on a regular basis. Using a CRM system that requires each worker to maintain the contact details of the people they speak to should keep all active records accurate but may let less active records stagnate.

One method is to periodically generate a report on organisations not contacted in the past x months and call them.

How will I implement the database?

My view is that implementation of a database that affects the method of working is a change management problem; especially where good effective workers have created their own systems and processes to work around the lack of an organisational database. Trying to stop them from using their own system and get them to use  organisation wide solution can cause problems. So consultation, listening, training, training, training, and then embedding the database into their every day role is a must.

What budget do I need?

How long is a piece of string? The cost of a database is only one of the considerations, and within the specification I suggest you ask the provider for some Return on Investment scenarios.

What are the running Costs?

Typically you will have

• Annual Hosting costs
• License costs - cost per user on the system
• Training - it is worth investing in an ongoing training programme even if this is internal cascade training to confirm compliance in the way people operate
• Development - Once people become familiar with a system there will be a chorus of can it do this, I want a new report etc. so some development budget is advised
• Data management - most organisations do not account for the data management (because every one manages their own). So the introduction of a new system can produce new tasks such as creating reports from the system, cleaning the data, correcting input errors, spotting input errors etc.

Personal Notes

1. Your primary communication system is email so any database you consider should link with your email package.
2. Much of the data LIOs store is organisational, whilst this falls outside of the data protection act you should still aim to ensure you only store data you need to store.
3. Training and staff involvement is key to the successful selection and deployment of a database solution.

Possible suppliers

Here are the names of a few of the suppliers I am aware of.

* Salesforce - www.salesforce.com
* Contact Link - http://www.itsorted.org.uk/
* E-target - www.centrepoint.uk.com/
* ThankQ - www.esit.co.uk
* VC Connect - www.vcconnect.org.uk

Civi CRM is an open source CRM system which would allow you to structure a CRM against your own requirements, this tailored approach using open source software has some positive points but any savings on licences will be initially reduced/removed by development costs.