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Ten Ways To Keep Your Database Healthy

1. Put someone in charge. Although many people might have their hands on
your organization’s data, one person should have oversight. Make sure someone
in your organization is empowered as a database administrator.

2. Create a database task force. Although the database administrator is
ultimately in charge of watching over the data, having a taskforce helps ensure
the administrator has input from others on key issues relating to your data.

3. Limit access to key data. Any good software program will offer the ability to
limit access to features or fields depending functional role. Take the time to map
out who should have what security rights.

4. Invest in training. Trained users make fewer mistakes because they
understand how the system is supposed to work. Untrained users can be more
costly than any training investment you could ever make.

5. Document your processes. Users that have documented policies and
procedures unique to your organization are less likely to mess up your data.
Document your processes and make sure you keep your in house manual up to
date.

6. Look for duplicates. Even with documented procedures in place, you’re going
to end up with duplicate constituent records or codes. Your database
administrator should review code tables and run reports looking for duplicates on
a regular basis.

7. Reconcile financial information. Run reports in both finance and fundraising
and make sure the numbers add up. This is a great way to uncover possible data
issues.

8. Request and enter updated information. Keep on top of address changes and
other information that tends to change. Details matter and the organization that
keeps up with them daily will have cleaner data.

9. Develop a regular database maintenance schedule. There are various
diagnostics that can be run on database to ensure it’s healthy. Set up a regular
schedule of these processes (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) and stick to it.

10. Plan for disasters. Clean data won’t do you any good if you have a
catastrophic event that results in the loss of your data and database. Make sure
you have a disaster recovery plan that includes consistent backup that is stored
off site.


(Source: BlackBaud’s Educational Services Division)
DataHealth News
December 2007 Issue
Kheng Chow Consulting LLC

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