Marketing with Your Database

4. Designing the Database

Forget the computers and work out what you need from your database. Once you know what you want the database to do, invite database experts to advise on the best options for achieving your goals.

4.1 Accuracy comes naturally, if the system helps the user.

• Give operators short-cut options to click on, so that they do not have to type everything out in full each time.
• Leave room for multiple records.
• Include fields for commentary notes in your database. Otherwise operators will jot comments down in other empty fields, potentially causing serious problems.

4.2 Make the database as flexible as possible.

• You need to be able to generate a pick list of data, then add and delete entries or groups of records to get the exact list you wish to use for your mailshot (or report).
• You must be able to run mailmerge operations, combining the database with your word processing or email software, to send letters or emails to lists of people.
• You should be able to run off one label for a single envelope, or 2,000 labels for a mailshot, without any complications.

4.3 Each customer's contact history needs to be readily accessible, to ensure you do not send the same communication twice.

4.4 Use categories, codes and key data fields to organise the data as a whole (see 5).

• These allow you to filter in, and filter out, the records you need for analysis or for targeting a marketing campaign.
• Make use of validated fields, where only one of a range of codes can be entered.For example, your 'gender' field would accept 'm', 'f' or 'na' (information not available), but would bar any other entry.

4.5 Use unambiguous descriptions for data.

• Check that the meaning of a tick or a mark in a field is clearly defined. For example, you need to know whether your 'customer' flag includes lapsed customers.

4.6 Use dates to generate time-sensitive data, such as a person's age.