I asked my client: "What are you looking for in a new AMS?"

She responded: "I just want a system I don't have to fight with."

And it struck me that this is how A LOT of my clients feel about their data management systems; that it's a constant struggle to make the software do what they need it to do.

Consider all of your data management systems (not just your AMS, but things like your email tool, event registration tool, abstract management, voting, or any other product you use to gather data). Which of these systems do you "fight with" and which of them do the job they were meant to do?

If you feel like you're fighting, you've either got a process issue or a technology issue. (Or possibly both.) Once you figure out where the problem is, only then can you begin to address it.