Don't Expect EVERYTHING from Your Database

I’m working on an RFP for a client for the selection of new association management software system. As I’m working through the list of required functionality, I’m struck by just how much functionality is available in today’s systems, especially as compared to what things were like two decades ago when I first started working in AMS systems.

Because things are so amazing, we have a tendency to think that we should be able to do EVERYTHING in our database. And when the functionality we want isn’t there, we get upset. (I admit to suffering from this at times.) I was reminded of a great monologue from the comedian Louis CK when he was a guest on Conan O’Brien’s show. His riff is entitled “Evereything’s Amazing& Nobody’s Happy. (You can view it here.)

It’s really important to have realistic expectations about what your database can and cannot do. And it’s important to keep things in perspective; so many of the things we can do now didn’t even exist 20 years ago. Some of them didn’t exist five years ago!

About Wes Trochlil

For over 30 years, Wes has worked in and with dozens of associations and membership organizations throughout the US, ranging in size from zero staff (all-volunteer) to over 700. In that time Wes has provided a range of consulting services, from general consulting on data management issues to full-scale, association-wide selection and implementation of association management systems.

5 thoughts on “Don't Expect EVERYTHING from Your Database”

  1. Good point, Wes. On the other hand, I wish associations were MORE demanding of AMS vendors when it comes to usability. My recent work includes usability reviews and tests of basic ecommerce functions in some very popular AMSs, and it is surprising how needlessly complex and unlike good consumer sites association ecommerce can be. If associations demanded easier joining, renewing, event registration, and purchasing functions out of the box, the whole association community–including the AMS vendors–would benefit.

  2. Thanks for the comment, Jacqui, and you’re right, clients do need to push harder. But a minor defense of the AMS vendors: Very often the business rules that associations have make it difficult to mimic “typical” e-commerce sites. For example, Amazon only needs to know who I am how I’m going to pay in order to take my order. But for an event registration, the system may also need to know if I’m a member or not, which sessions I’m attending, am I bringing a guest, and on and on and on.

    That doesn’t mean the vendors can’t improve (they can), but again, we need to be realistic about what’s possible.

  3. Understood and agreed, Wes. I worked in associations for many years and understand both the fundamental business processes, and also how some orgs fall into the trap of “this is how we’ve always done it.” However, complex business rules are no excuse for poor user experience. So, here’s a message to the associations and AMS vendors: When information needs to be gathered (and can’t be prepopulated from an existing record), gather it, but keep transactions as simple as possible, learn from the process flows of successful sites (e.g., Amazon, PayPal), and let people see where they are in a process. They will be more likely to complete the transaction online.

  4. Is there room on that soapbox for me? That’s a great blog post. Only essential info should be gathered in the critical path of a transaction. Never get in the way of people wanting to spend money with your association. : )

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