How small and medium organizations select Databases

If someone asks you to provide such data-How long does it take for volunteers who join the Organization to perform voluntary services within the year to answer this question? Also, how many activists do your organization have in a particular country? Or in the past five years, which areas of the world have the fastest improvement in water quality?

Databases can help your organization improve their ability to answer these questions. Today, there is no doubt that databases can play an immeasurable role for small and medium-sized organizations, because databases are a very important tool to help organizations concentrate on key and critical transactions.

Databases allow you to manage thousands of people and plan data. You can create a list of people for work contact, which is simple and direct. Databases can also make reports easier, you don't have to worry about checking workbooks and contacts. You can simply press a button to generate a report.

Of course, the powerful functions of the database also bring complexity, so there are many factors to consider when choosing and using the database software. To help you better navigate this process, we have communicated with many small and medium organizations and understood their problems and advantages, as well as their questions about the database.

Next, we will introduce some suggestions for Small and Medium Organizations to select and use databases for reference by other small and medium organizations.

Clarify what is the most important

Before you plan to use a database and consider which database is the most suitable for you, you must first think about what is the most important for your organization.

◆Know who the user isFirst, the database in the Organization should not only belong to technical personnel. Many people need to use this database. For example, anyone may use this database to query the phone number of a member, or other contact information.

Consider the tasks you want to perform and the data you want to track. What are the existing tasks supported by the new system? What do new systems need to be improved compared to the old one? What does it end up? These must be clear.

◆Starting with the expected resultsCreate a list of all the reports, lists, and other materials you want to obtain from the system. Determine what information you need and how the system filters data.

◆Get help from possibilitiesUnderstand the movements of the same organization as you, or what information they provide in public database software, which helps you identify what you need. In another aspect, think carefully about the seemingly beautiful functions-do not be confused by the functions that are only nice-looking but not practical.

Arrange the Primary and Secondary requirements to determine which of your needs are important and which are only needed for the sake of appearance. If you want to find a system that supports all functions at one time, it is likely that the result is a very complicated system.

The above plan can lay a good foundation for selecting a good database, and once you get the desired database, it will have a high efficiency because of your previous plan. At this stage, it is very important to think more about the plan and to meet your actual requirements, this will greatly affect whether you finally get a good technical tool or an expensive mistake.

Select the one that best suits you

After clarifying what your needs are, you need to know what database software packages are available for you.

◆Understand your optionsDon't decide from the very beginning to just be interested in the database you are familiar with. Think about other options and refer to more database introductions. The market is very large, and some software you are not familiar with must have a reason for its existence, and this may be what you need.

◆Exercise caution when choosing to build your own databaseIt seems that you can create a database in Access or FileMaker Pro according to your own needs, but some problems will arise when you have special needs. Ask yourself, does your organization have the ability to create a database software? Do you have the resources to design, create, and test databases? Can you maintain and update your database? What if the person who created the database suddenly leaves? These are all considerations.

◆Integration, but do not increase too muchTry your best to reduce the number of databases. All the contact information in your organization should be stored in one database. If you find that you need to add another database system, think about how to integrate the data and put it in the original database system.

It is useless to regard the price as a standard database that is free or cheap but cannot meet your needs. In fact, if you choose such a database, the cost you spend on making it run normally may be higher than the cost suitable for your database, even if such a database will spend more money to purchase. The so-called value for money, you must choose a database to meet your needs, the money will not be spent.

◆Do not think the bigger the betterMore features and more features will almost inevitably make it more difficult for your employees to master the operating technology. It is best to find databases that meet your core needs without a bunch of additional features.

You may find the most suitable database after looking at all possible solutions. Of course, if you have defined your requirements before, when a database that fully meets your needs and can work effectively appears, you will not miss it, make preparations.

Better use of databases

Selecting a database is only the first step, because running a database is a long-term process.

◆ Do not underestimate the Startup ProcessDatabase investment is a time-consuming process. You need to migrate all your data-from existing databases, workbooks, Outlook, or other resources-to new databases, and then train your employees. Remember, this process will be very difficult.

◆ Define data input rules and standardsMake sure that anyone can understand how to input data. What are the meanings of "type" and "number? Should the address be in upper or lower case? If the data input formats are inconsistent, it will lead to a nightmare, so you cannot get a list or report at all; how to develop directories and Information encoding, etc, these problems will greatly affect your use.

The database administrator needs to supervise the database and input data to ensure normal operation and repair of the database. It is necessary to determine who is responsible for this matter.

In fact, it takes a little time to train, set standards, maintain, and so on, which will make everything run smoothly and avoid headaches in the future.

Although the database can bring huge benefits to the Organization, it seems very difficult to select a good database software and make it run normally. Think about what you need, see what other similar organizations are doing, carefully select solutions, and carefully monitor the data and programs of your current system. Based on the above suggestions, Small and Medium Organizations can easily identify everyone in the organization, quickly generate reports, and improve your planning capabilities and relationships. At the same time, the most important thing is to better complete the task.

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