Experience is the best teacher. Every one of us has experienced this (pun intended!) and we all know it's true.

And yet too often, when it comes to database training, we think we can place staff in front of a trainer, have the trainer show the class how to do something, and expect the staff to go off and do it.

The best teacher is experience, which means the staff has to experience the process they're being trained on. They need to have their hands on the computer keyboard and they need to be working right along with the trainer.

The same is true after go-live of a new system. The only way staff really learns to use the system is to use the system. And after working with the system, having regular meetings with internal users to discuss how the system is or isn't working and what changes should be made to improve effectiveness.

The best way to learn is to experience what you're learning.