Data Warehousing

Benefits of On-Line Data Warehousing

In most marketing organizations, house customer/prospect/donor database needs to be touched by multiple individuals. The sales team should be able to look up, add, change & delete records. The marketing manager and vendors should be able to run query and reports to select sub-section of data for a particular mailing or e-mail campaign and an outside database marketing agency must be able to extract all data for periodic cleansing & import all cleaned data without affecting the flow of business.

Keeping the database on one computer is innfecient, and frankly, it is also at a risk of critical data loss in the event of a computer failure. Sure, most people have secure data back up services to reduce the risk of accidental data loss in the event of a computer failure... the problem remains of providing flawless access to data for everyone who participates in the care of thedata.

That is where a hosted intranet solution comes in handy. While there are many hosted intranet solutions in the market, the one we selected has a very strong data warehousing facility. What we liked most about this solution is the ability to have unlimited sheets with unlimited rows & unlimited columns with relational reference capacity... all for about ten dollars a user.

What is an Intranet?

An intranet is a private network accessible only by a defined group of individuals where information such as documents, ideas and schedules can be shared within an organization. In many organizations, an intranet is part of the internal IT infrastructure and is managed and supported by a professionally trained staff.

This approach works well for organizations that can support the vast expenditures in hardware, software, telecommunications and human resource capital to make a private in-house intranet effective. However, for many organizations these costs are simply too prohibitive. The solution for these organizations is to deploy a professionally-managed hosted intranet.

Database Manager

The Database application is a powerful data management tool that allows you to quickly create and share information among your groups. Built upon the SQL Server relational database, you do not need to know SQL or have a technical degree to have your databases up and running quickly.

We make it easy for you to create and share your databases. You can create a database from one of our existing templates or create your own either from scratch or by importing a CSV file. There's no need to have a pre-existing database because our import engine can do this for you.

Once your database is created, you can manage access to the database structure and the data with our multi-tiered permissions:

• Database-Level permissions define which members can view, add, edit and delete records from the database as well as manage the underlying database structure.
  
• Field-Level permissions define which members can view, add and edit specific fields in the database. This is crucial for securing sensitive information while providing flexibility at the lowest level.
  
• Database Views determine the fields to display, the ordering of the fields and and filter criteria to apply. Groups and Members are granted access to database views so different members can have different views into the same database.

All of these features work in tandem with each other to make sure that the information in your database is secure and is only accessible to those who have been granted access. Even with this level of sophistication, the database application is still simple and straight forward, making it easier to use.

The Database Application comes loaded with a number of powerful features to handle the most demanding requirements. The relational capabilities allow you to join multiple tables and sort/view on any field in the relationship. Calculated fields allow you to create your own fields that are derived from expressions, built-in SQL functions, other fields or any combination of the above. Our unique calendar view allows you to display database information on the calendar.

Featured Benefits

Shared Databases provide power and flexibility
Share all kinds of information with your group with our relational database application. Our customizable views let you quickly access the information you need while limiting access to sensitive information.

True Extranet capability
Our feature-rich extranet enables you to share only selected information with external entities such as customers and suppliers. You decide what information they can access while ensuring the privacy of your corporate data. Your extranet is fully customizable and allows for different applications to be available for your internal staff and outside resources.

Trackable eForms provide workflow/routing capability
Use this functionality to log, track, assign and resolve electronically-submitted requests. Request status is available online in real-time minimizing follow-up phone calls.

Ensure access to relevant content while protecting sensitive information
Our Intelligent Distribution Engine (IDE) presents only relevant information that the person has access to. Employees remain focused on their activities and do not get distracted by information meant for a different department.

Effectively model your organization
Create an unlimited number of groups to match the needs of your organization. Create separate groups for Finance, Accounting, Sales, HR, etc. Groups are integrated with the IDE to make sure the right information gets to the right people.

Fully customize your intranet to meet your needs
No two organizations are alike. Our customization options enable you to change the look and feel of your intranet to fit your needs.

Context-sensitive and custom help
Utilize our context-sensitive help from any page to get a description of each and every field. Add your own help and procedures documents to the Jumpstart section where all members have quick and easy access to it.

Manage multiple intranets from a single integrated management console
You can access multiple intranets from a single login and publish information between some or all of your intranets. The management calendar gives a consolidated view of your events across all of your intranets.

Customer-driven enhancements and support
Your intranet is yours. We're simply supporting it for you. Our support team encourages comments and utilizes customer feedback to develop new functionality and features.