Start with “Why” before you move to “How” Something I’ve noticed over my years in consulting is that when there is a process problem the natural inclination is to ask “How can we make this process easier/better/faster?” But as often as not, the real question we should be asking first is “WHY are we doing this?” …

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The power of users groups! Last week I had the honor and pleasure of speaking at the NetForum Users Group Conference. I’ve always been a huge proponent of users groups (both internal and external) and sitting in the sessions prior to mine was a great reminder of their value. Here are just a few things I …

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Associations are complex businesses! One of the reasons managing data at an association can be so challenging is because associations are very complex businesses. The simple fact is a typical association of almost any size is selling multiple product lines (e.g., membership, events registration, sponsorships, products, etc.) and very often these product lines have a broad range of variables …

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Snapshots are required Recently a couple of different clients have asked me why it’s necessary to take a snapshot of data (e.g., a member count) in order to track the history of data (e.g., comparing year over year membership counts). They ask: “Why can’t we just query the data from last year?” The answer? Because your …

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“It’s in the database…” I often joke with my clients that AMS nirvana looks like this: When someone asks “Where is the data about topic X?” the answer is always “It’s in the database.” Q: “Who were the award winners in 2019?” A: “It’s in the database.” Q: “Which meetings did this person attend in the past …

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