Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Guardrails can be helpful!

By Wes Trochlil | October 7, 2026

Guardrails can be helpful! When selecting a new AMS, I find my clients are often very tempted by custom software or “platform” systems (e.g., built on Salesforce or MS Dynamics) because these systems are infinitely configurable. After all, if I can make the system do anything I want, that’s a good thing, right? Well, maybe. In […]

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?”

By Wes Trochlil | September 30, 2026

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?” I had a conversation with a client recently about developing KPIs, reports, and queries from their forthcoming data warehouse. My client said: “We have a ton of requests for KPIs and reports. How do we determine which to focus on first?” My response: “When someone requests a dashboard […]

Showing is not teaching

By Wes Trochlil | September 23, 2026

Showing is not teaching In my experience, when new staff members are taught how to use their AMS (or LMS, CMS, FMS, etc.) they aren’t really taught how to use the system, they are shown how to use it. So what’s the difference? In a nutshell, showing only covers the “how” and “what.” But teaching […]

Data management is improvisation

By Wes Trochlil | September 16, 2026

Data management is improvisation I was listening to a podcast recently featuring TV writer Rob Long. During the podcast he said (I’m paraphrasing) that, in order to be successful, one needs to learn to improvise, because nothing in life ever goes as planned. One of my favorite sayings is, “If you want to make God […]

Who own the AMS company is like the weather…

By Wes Trochlil | September 9, 2026

Who own the AMS company is like the weather… When I work with clients to find a new AMS, one of the most common questions I get is: “Is the software company owned by private equity or is it privately owned?” While I think this is a legitimate question to ask and have answered, it […]

Older Posts

CiviCRM and Associations

January 13, 2009

CiviCRM is an open source CRM package designed specifically for the non-profit market. CiviCRM integrates with Drupal and Joomla, two […]

2009 Association Technology Conference is only two weeks away!

January 12, 2009

Have you registered for the 2009 Association Technology Conference & Expo yet? What are you waiting for? I’m told attendance […]

More on Contact Tracking

January 8, 2009

I’ve written in the past about establishing a contact tracking policy for your organization. In my experience, very few organizations […]

Discipline

January 6, 2009

Perhaps it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: long-term success with your database requires good discipline. When I […]

Happy Holidays!

December 22, 2008

Happy holidays to everyone over the coming weeks. I’m taking a break over the holidays to spend time with my […]

Information Management Trends for 2009

December 18, 2008

In the December issue of Database Trends and Applications (sorry, not online yet), DBTA outlines the “15 Top Information Management […]

Associations Now on Business Intelligence

December 16, 2008

Here’s another really good article on business intelligence in the association market, from ASAE’s magazine, Associations Now. I know it’s […]

First Wikis, now Twitter

December 11, 2008

A while back I gave kudos to Avectra for creating the first wiki in the AMS space. Now I’ve recently […]

Don't Forget to Register for the 2009 ASAE Technology Conference

December 9, 2008

The 2009 ASAE Technology Conference is less than six weeks away! Have you registered yet?  Having recently received the program […]

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