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

Speaking in Chicago

September 25, 2008

I’ll be speaking in Chicago next Thursday, October 2, for the Association Forum of Chicagoland. My presentation will be on […]

Aptify Users Conference

September 23, 2008

I attended the Aptify Users Conference in Chicago last week. I always enjoy the users conferences because I get a […]

Are benchmarks useful or not?

September 18, 2008

At a recent ASAE Technical Section Council meeting, there was a lot of talk about benchmarking. One participant said his […]

Too many demos, too much perfume

September 16, 2008

When I work with clients on system selection (or when I’m presenting on this topic), I point out that one […]

From CIO to CPO

September 11, 2008

At the recent ASAE Technology Section Council meeting, Heidi Byerly of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) made the […]

Trust is critical to success

September 9, 2008

It may be a cliche, but one of the most critical elements to the long-term success of your database is […]

Staff News

September 4, 2008

I have a client who sends an every other week email newsletter, nicely formatted and designed, simply called “Staff News.” […]

Zappos and Facebook

September 2, 2008

Admittedly, I’m not much of a social media maven. I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, and maybe a couple of others, […]

Carefirst Gets it Wrong and Then Gets it Right

August 28, 2008

I recently had need to call Carefirst (my health insurance company) because they had made a billing error. I had […]

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