Frequently Asked Questions
The following FAQ's are our most commonly asked questions at Northwest Database
Services. If you have any that you feel would be of help to other visitors, please
submit them through the Northwest Database Services Web site.
(Contact Us)
Q: I keep my data in Excel, Word or WordPerfect; isn't
that as good as a database? What's the difference?
A:Data comes in a diverse variety of forms, and
where your computer is concerned, the type of data; what it
represents and even the form in which it's kept can be as important
as the data itself.
Most data is handled by one of three main types of applications: word
processors, spreadsheets and database managers. Each is designed for
the kind of data and processing it handles best. Word processors are
designed to process unstructured data most commonly in the form of
documents, while spreadsheets are typically "number crunchers."
Although these two kinds of applications can hold a certain amount
of data, and appear to serve as well as a database manager for most
data needs, they will eventually fail because they are not designed
with comprehensive data management capabilities in mind.
Some word processors, for example, are known for creating inconsistent
file structures; spreadsheets can assign the wrong data types and alter
your data as a result; neither can hold large numbers of records and
will truncate more sizable data files when their limits are exceeded.
Database managers such as Microsoft Access and Alpha Five, provide
you the flexibility and processing power to store, manage and output
your data that only consummate relational database management systems
can offer.
Q: Why can't I find an "off-the-shelf" database
that fits the way my business operates?
A: All database manager programs include a generic
interface that enables most users to accomplish the basics - importing
data; exporting data; adding, changing and deleting records; selecting
and sorting records; etc. These applications also include macro and
programming capabilities for those who require a custom database; one
that will fit their business and its workflows.
If you can't find something already available the fulfils your needs, then
a basic database manager application (i.e. Microsoft Access, Alpha Five,
Paradox, etc.) will have to be custom programmed for you.
Q: My company has been collecting data
for a few years now and yet I can't get it to "tell" me anything.
A: As your company grows, it's in an increasingly
better position to learn who enjoys doing business with you, as well
what kind of business, when, how much nd how often. The customers
you have attracted up till now have already, in a measure, defined
your company. The spoor is there to read, but can be difficult to
follow without effective woodcraft and the right gear...
Many businesses already have the basics: customer names and addresses,
items purchased, when and how many, etc. The problem is that this doesn't
really tell you much about the individuals themselves.
Collecting this additional, vital information on your own can be costly
in time and compilation. Demographic enhancement however, is a cost-effective
and efficient way to provide that all-important "Hunter's Edge."
Once your database has been enhanced and continues to evolve, it will
remember, remind and reveal to you marvelous, formerly hidden things
about your customers. It will point out ways to discover new business
based on an accurately developed profile or model.
Finally, we need compass and sextant; navigational tools to show us the
path through what can become a tangled jungle or, in other words,
reports. Reports are the navigational tools used by any database
to determine where it's been and, more important, where it's headed.
Q: I would like to use my database as
a mailing list, but I don't know when the addresses were last updated;
how many will actually get there?
A: Data is like produce: it's best used when fresh. From
the moment data is dded to your database, it's already getting stale. Things
such as people moving to a new address, moving away and leaving no forwarding
address, moving out of your territory, or simply 'disappearing' all contribute
to the decay of your data. (Nationwide, about 15%-20% of consumers move, which
means that 15% to 20% of your customers' and/or prospects' mailing pieces will
go directly into a USPS dumpster every year if you don't keep up with them.
Use the NCOA (National Change Of Address) System to update a list that hasn't
been updated in some time; use the ACS (Address Change Service) for ongoing,
electronic updates.
Q: I need to standardize and automate the
way my database handles my ommon and necessary business/data operations.
A: Similar to Question 2. Northwest Database can automate
standard, regularly performed operations through custom programming.
Q: I need to know more about what's going
on with my customers and prospects.
A: Data, as stored in a database, doesn't actually tell you
anything. You could look at customers or inventory going by on your computer
screen and still not know who is buying what the most often and, subsequently,
why.
Data is virtually useless to the human mind unless it is organized into
information. Knowing that 25% of your customers who buy shoes from your
store also buy ketchup can indicate a change in the way you market ketchup
from now on. This isn't so far-fetched.
It's said that, years ago, 7-11 stores noticed that men who were asked by
their wives to buy disposable diapers on their way home after work would
also buy beer. By displaying the two seemingly unrelated items next to each
other, beer sales went way up.
Northwest Database can draft a specially designed series of queries and
reports to always show you what's going on in there...
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