Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

[ai_chat_window]

My most recent posts

Blog post themes over 20 years…

By Wes Trochlil | August 5, 2026

Blog post themes over 20 years… I’ve been writing blog posts for nearly 20 years now. WordPress tells me I’ve written over 1,200 posts. So I asked AI to analyze my 1,200+ posts and give me my top three themes. Here’s what it came up with: Data management and data quality – these posts emphasize that data management is […]

Lots of feedback is a GOOD thing!

By Wes Trochlil | July 29, 2026

Lots of feedback is a GOOD thing! A client in the middle of their AMS implementation said to me: “I’m getting a LOT of feedback from staff about what the system can and cannot do. Is that good or bad?” My response: “Feedback means they’re actually in the system and using it! That’s a good […]

Doing the reps…

By Wes Trochlil | July 22, 2026

Doing the reps… I’m helping a client with the implementation of a new AMS. During a recent call, their internal project manager said “I’m still not as familiar with the system as I’d like to be. I need to get in there more often and play around.” I responded: “That’s exactly right. I suggest you […]

Add one, remove one

By Wes Trochlil | July 15, 2026

Add one, remove one In the world of home-organizing, there’s the “one in, one out” rule. Simply put, for every new item that enters your home, one similar item must leave, helping to maintain a constant level of possessions and prevent clutter accumulation. This would be a great rule for database managers when considering adding new fields […]

Spring cleaning, all year long

By Wes Trochlil | July 8, 2026

Spring cleaning, all year long I talk frequently about “weeding the garden,” the idea that proactively managing your data, consistently, over time, is a better practice than trying to clean up the data in one big effort once every couple of years. But beyond the data itself, weeding the garden should also include making sure all […]

Older Posts

Happiness = Reality divided by Expectations

June 29, 2016

I recently heard the author James Altucher make this statement, and a subsequent google search attributes it to the author Jodi […]

The Five Elements of Healthy Vendor Relationship (plus a bonus!)

June 27, 2016

I recently moderated a keynote presentation at ACGI’s Knowledge Days in Baltimore. The session, entitled “How to Keep a Healthy Marriage with […]

New Article Posted – It's time for your association to create a data records manager position

June 20, 2016

Several years ago, I suggested to a client of mine that they needed to add a new position to their […]

Rule of 100 and 1000 for ongoing data management

June 10, 2016

Many years ago I coined the Rule of 100 and 1,000, as it pertains to data conversions. (Click here to read […]

FREE Training Audio Recording

June 9, 2016

I while back I recorded a webinar on database training called “Don’t Waste Another Dollar On Training: How To Ensure Your Training […]

Take snapshots of your membership data for historical review

June 8, 2016

One of the more common requests I hear from my clients is that they’d like to be able to compare […]

Are you using "secret shoppers"? You should.

June 7, 2016

Every time I call my haircut place to make an appointment, I have the same experience. The person taking the […]

Distinguish between "can't" and "don't"

June 3, 2016

I often hear from my clients something along these lines: “We’d like that data but we don’t have it.” I […]

My interview with Aptify

May 23, 2016

On a range of database management issues. You can read it all here: http://bit.ly/1sMrmN0

Scroll to Top