Pragmatic Data Services LLC

Super To-Do List: Remember the Milk

I’ve been looking for an easy to use application to track to-do lists for personal and business tasks.  My requirements are that I can update it using an app on my mobile device (iPhone) or via the web and the lists are kept synchronized.  I also wanted to be able to do categories, priorities, linked tasks, task history, and set due dates.

It wasn’t easy finding something that handled all of these requirements, but I finally did: Remember The Milk

There is a free version if you want to try it out.  To get more features and iPhone capabilities, you need to purchase a $25/year premium upgrade.  For me, that was a no-brainer.

Have you used RTM (as it’s known on the web)?  Let me know what you think about it.  Maybe I will do a video about it to highlight some of the features.nd wh

Types of Databases

A question came up the other day about how you decide what kind of “database” to use. I put that in quotes because this was using a pretty loose definition of a database, but it’s how most people think of them.

Speaking very generally, you have the following options:

1. Flat File (text file like a CSV or other character-delimited/separated value file)
2. Spreadsheets (like Excel)
3. Simple Relational Databases (like Access)
4. Complex Relational Databases (like MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle)

It’s not too difficult to move down the list (Flat File to Simple Relational Database, for example) provided you have a resource available with the knowledge to properly set up the new database.  However, going up the list is very difficult.

So, if you’re concerned about using something that’s too complex for your needs today, it’s better to go on the low-side of that equation if you think you might need to downgrade at a later date.

I’ll cover when it’s best to use each type in later posts.

Video Poll

I’ve got a list of videos to make, but I wanted to see if any of you had some specific data-related topic you’d like to see covered?

Please participate in my poll below to let me know what you think.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Click Here to take survey

Process Flows

When you are thinking about automating a task or trying to make it easier using software, it’s useful beforehand to create a process flow.

A process flow is a map of the different steps needed to complete a task, including how and who makes the request and how the completed task is received. Even if you aren’t changing anything, it can be helpful to go through the work to create the process flow so you can see visually what a task looks like start to finish. Often you’ll spot some inefficiencies that can be fixed and make your employees more productive.

However, it’s especially critical when you are trying to automate all or part of task because you don’t want to waste time or money configuring software to do parts of the task that are unneeded or inefficient. When you do roll out the new way of doing the task, you’ll get more support for the changes when you can show the additional benefits from the streamlining of the task itself.

Twitter for Business Video

Here’s a video on how to use Twitter for business.

I cover everything from signing-up to lingo to do’s and don’ts.

Backup Strategies Video

To sum up some of the posts I’ve done recently on backup strategies, I put together the following video:

Backup Retention Policies

I’ve noticed some hits coming in from people looking for backup retention policies.

It’s a very important process to think about if you’re responsible for your company’s data.  The decisions you make will have a massive impact on what you can and cannot recover.

First, you’ll need to define what resources you have available in terms of disk space, data tapes or other media, and backup software.  That will largely define what type of schedule you can set up.

Most business I’ve seen use the following components to their backup retention policy:

1. Very recent backups stored on local server drives — this would apply mainly to things like databases or other data that has a scheduled backup process running locally.  Depending on available resources, the local drives could have backups from a couple of days or a few weeks.  These are the fastest to restore due to not requiring any copying of the backup files back to the local server.
2. Recent backups stored on network drive – backups from local server drives, as well as system backups or backups of folders/databases not created locally, are saved on network drives.  Retention largely depends on resources, but generally you’d have a couple of weeks to a few months worth of backups available on the drives.  Depending on the backup software you use, this may be managed by you or the software.  These are a little slower to restore than local backup files if they have to be copied to the server to run the restore, but they are faster than having to retrieve the backups from external media.
3. Long-term backups stored on external media — the backups from the network drives are archived on external media for long-term storage.  Depending on your requirements, you’ll probably keep a few months to a year worth of backups on external media.  Many companies will take a snapshot of the network drive backups at certain periods (for example, the end of the month) to reduce the number of backups on external media.  This simplifies the restore process, but increases the chance of data loss.
4. Copies of external media backups stored off-site — the external media backups are copied onto other external media and stored in an off-site location.  This allows you to still be able to run restores should the local media get lost, stolen, or destroyed due to fire, building damage, etc.  If possible, you really want to implement this as part of your plan.  Be sure, though, that more than one person has access to the off-site location and a clear schedule is set up for moving media to it.
5. External media backups are recycled or destroyed after a certain period — after a defined period of time, the external media used for storing backups are either recycled into the backup process (for example, tapes) or destroyed (DVD, CD, etc.) .  For recyclable media, this helps you reduce costs associated with the media you use, which can be quite significant.

The specifics of plans vary greatly and depend a lot on the type of business you do and your available resources.  You’ll also want to be sure all the top decision makers are aware and approve of the plan and understand what can and cannot be recovered as defined in the plan.

As I mentioned in my earlier post “Setting Up A Data Retention Policy“, there may be some legal reasons not to keep data after a certain point.  You’ll want to factor that into how long you keep your backups as well.

Setting The Roadmap

A lot of people seem to think using a consultant is only for getting a project completed.

Yes, that’s something we do, but we are also here to guide you as you plan systems and processes for you company now and into the future.

Is it worth spending a small amount of money to talk to an expert to figure out some areas to improve over the coming months or years?  I think most people who done that would say so.

In fact, many consultants may even be willing to discuss your situation for free in the hopes that you may retain their services for some work later.  That’s how I handle things with Pragmatic Data Services.

In terms of data issues, here are some areas where you might want to talk to a consultant:

• Evaluating the impact of a new software purchase
• Forming policies regarding data retention or security
• Determining how you can keep your systems growing along with your business and what those transitions might be like
• Bringing in data from outside sources into your data applications
• Cleaning up your existing data
• Researching the best reporting tools for your industry

Remember–any good consultant will have the heart of a teacher and want to help you understand your options.  If you do a consultation, paid or free, use it as an audition for that consultant.  If you don’t feel they are being clear or thorough in their explanations, chances are they will behave similarly if you used them for a project.

Long Term Thinking About Data Entry

Many problems I find with data I’ve been asked to convert to another system or use for reporting relate to very small decisions that were made without a long-term view in mind.

A perfect example is a free text field in an application.  When choosing the type of field to use for a data entry form, you have a few basic options:

1. Radio button
2. Drop-down menu
3. Check box
4. Free text

The easiest from a developers standpoint is free text because you don’t have to set up any pre-set options for the field.  This type of data field requires the user to enter the information, but they also have the freedom to enter whatever they want.

You may see where this could become a problem later.  Anything from typos to using different words for the same concept can make this data very unwieldy later if you want to do some analysis on the information.  You also run the risk of people using the field for other kinds of information when you allow them to type in the data–and this really makes a mess of your database.

Although it takes more time to set up and maintain (adding/removing options), it’s best to limit options when possible for data fields.  Even for data fields that can’t be preset (like demographic information), it’s important to have some data validation rules in place to make sure the fields aren’t being used incorrectly.  For example, have a rule in place that doesn’t allow dates to be saved in a field for an email address.

It’s really important when you make these decisions about configuring your data entry tools that you are thinking months and years down the road.

What’s easy now may end up costing you a lot of time and money later.

The Power of Multi-Faceted Looks At Software

Too often decisions about technology purchases are made by IT and upper management without much input from the people who will actually use the software.

I think it’s critical that you have a team that represents the different parts of your company examine any enterprise (company-wide) software purchases to make sure you get a wider view of needs and impact of changes.

Even after software has been rolled out, make sure you continue getting regular input from your users about your purchase.  It’s helpful to know exactly what challenges the people using the software the most have found–even though they are often consulted the least.

In my experience, everyone benefits from this type of approach.  The end users feel their voices are being heard.  Divisional leaders get to share their successes or failures in working with the software.  Management gets to explain in detail why they decided to go with a certain software package.  You end up with a great roadmap for future development from these lists of wants, needs, concerns, and challenges.