Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

My most recent posts

Data integrity reports

By Wes Trochlil | July 9, 2025

Data integrity reports I speak and write a lot about data integrity reports. So I was pleased to see a post recently on ASAE’s Collaborate from Shaun Holloway, Director of Information Technology, at the American Motorcyclist Association, outlining a list of what he called “data hygiene checks.” As a reminder, the purpose of a data integrity […]

The most important training tip

By Wes Trochlil | June 25, 2025

The most important training tip I’ve been sitting in a lot of database training sessions recently, and I’ve been reminded of the following: whether you are doing the training yourself, or you use your vendor or a third-party for training, when you’re teaching a process… Tell them what you’re going to do Do it Tell […]

Be careful about getting tangled

By Wes Trochlil | June 18, 2025

Be careful about getting tangled “We had done a lot to tangle ourselves up.” – Bridget Walsh, Chief Operating Officer at Emergency Nurses Association In a discussion at AMS Fest this week, this is how Bridget Walsh characterized what their AMS of 17+ years looked like as they worked to move from their legacy system to a […]

Discipline. Always discipline.

By Wes Trochlil | June 11, 2025

Discipline. Always discipline. I’ve been producing a newsletter in some form for over 25 years now. I’ve found that certain topics are evergreen; they come up all the time and I feel compelled to write about them again and again. One of those topics is discipline. A quick search of my blog posts shows I’ve […]

Simpler is better

By Wes Trochlil | June 4, 2025

Simpler is better Recently, a client of mine was discussing how they manage membership reinstatements. For example, if a member doesn’t renew within the grace period, is dropped from membership, and then rejoins in less than a year from dropping, are they called a new member, a renewed member, or a reinstatement? After several minutes […]

Older Posts

Perfect is not possible

December 11, 2024

Perfect is not possible We’ve all heard the phrase “Perfect is the enemy of good” and I like to think that […]

“Different” isn’t necessarily better or worse.

December 4, 2024

“Different” isn’t necessarily better or worse. One of the biggest challenges I face when working with my clients is getting […]

The Rule of 100 and 1,000 and automation

November 20, 2024

The Rule of 100 and 1,000 and automation I originally coined the rule of 100 and 1,000 in relationship to […]

Once you know, what will you do?

November 13, 2024

Once you know, what will you do? I’ve yet to meet a client who didn’t require, in some form or […]

If it’s not in your AMS, why not?

November 6, 2024

If it’s not in your AMS, why not? I like to tell my clients they’ll know they’ve reached data management […]

Why checkboxes and tags are awesome and dangerous

October 30, 2024

Why checkboxes and tags are awesome and dangerous One of the most common functions in an AMS is the concept […]

Don’t miss obvious engagement data

October 23, 2024

Don’t miss obvious engagement data What I’ve experienced with my clients over the years is that too many associations are […]

All data requires active management

October 16, 2024

All data requires active management It’s a simple fact of data management that is often overlooked: Any data that is […]

Documentation is critical for consistency

October 9, 2024

Documentation is critical for consistency There are so many reasons why documenting your data management processes are so critical to […]

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