It could always be worse
Because most of us don't have the benefit (like I do) of seeing how other associations are managing their data, we tend to think our situation is much worse than it really is. So I like to collect stories of organizations that really ARE in bad shape. Here's the latest example:
A Wall Street Journal article entitled "What Can’t the Internet Handle in 2022? Apostrophes" discusses how certain data management systems are unable to manage certain characters (e.g., umlauts in names).
One of the examples is Aer Lingus. From the article: "Aer Lingus’s booking system, called Astral, is nearly 60 years old and doesn’t cater to special characters." SIXTY YEARS OLD!
And what special character can't it handle? Apostrophes. This in a country where many surnames have apostrophes!
So when you really start feeling down about how bad your systems are, remember, it could always be worse! Your system could be 60 years old and not accept apostrophes!
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Once it’s lost, trust can be difficult to regain
Once it’s lost, trust can be difficult to regain I recall hearing once long ago […]
Share your successes!
Share your successes! I was speaking at an association meeting recently and one of the points […]
What are YOUR data integrity reports?
What are YOUR data integrity reports? Sitting in an AMS demo with a client recently, […]
You might have to do SOME of the work yourself!
You might have to do SOME of the work yourself! Many, many years ago I […]
Don’t manage to the exception!
Don’t manage to the exception! One of the universal truths about data management is, wherever possible, […]
It’s always about improvement
It’s always about improvement Talking with a client recently, she expressed frustration about one particular project […]
Don’t be a hoarder!
Don’t be a hoarder! The simple truth is that it’s almost “free” to collect data. […]
With data analytics (as with most things), keep it simple!
With data analytics (as with most things), keep it simple! Over the past several years […]
Don’t forget about periodic maintenance
Don’t forget about periodic maintenance Just as most automobiles need periodic maintenance, keeping your data as […]
Users Groups are ALWAYS Valuable
Users Groups are ALWAYS Valuable I am a huge fan of users groups. (Here’s a […]