If you’re like me, having a (usually) tidy work-space is important – having a tidy Enrole database should be no different. The goal is to work smarter, not harder – right? Since 2018 is just starting, what better time to do some pre-spring cleaning! ? Below, I have identified some of the easiest places to start.
Sticking to Naming Conventions
At training, we always talk about naming conventions. Naming conventions are especially important when you have two or more different programs working together in the same system. It helps you at a glance to be able to identify:
- Who the session belongs to
- When the session takes place
- The type of course it is
This is important because the data you get out is only as good as the data entered. If a naming convention carries throughout your system, it makes reporting on your sessions, attendance patterns, and most importantly your revenue stream, so much easier.
Promotion Codes
When people create a new course, a promotion code may not be on their top priority list. Promotion codes are there so you can report on the revenue attendance, etc for the term. If you don’t enter a promotion code in the session information, a new one will be populated on your behalf. And, it will be the session ID! So what are the consequences of this? Fast forward 6 months to a year of not using promotion codes and you will have a whole host of unnecessary information in your database.
Housekeeping (Duplicate) Reports
Let’s say you have two people named Susan Johnston, but seven accounts under that name. It sounds like it may be time to utilize the person & company duplicate reports in your Informer account. This reporting capability is very helpful and enables you to identify whether you do or do not have duplicate accounts in your Enrole database. Further investigation may be needed to identify which ones are truly duplicates and which are just lucky enough to have the same name. If there are duplicates, you can resolve the issue by taking advantage of the merging person & company function.
Merging person & companies
Nobody likes to sift through irrelevant information to find what they really need. You don’t want to leave duplicate people/companies scattered throughout your Enrole database because it increases the risk of having two orders for the same class, double payments, and so much more! I understand merging people and company accounts can be scary because it’s irreversible. However, as long as you do your due diligence before merging the accounts, you’ll be just fine. If you’re using the duplicate reports mentioned above on a regular basis, even if once a month, you’ll keep a good handle on your database.
If at any point you have questions about the points above, you have options available: online support or submit a ticket via Enrole Zendesk or you can discuss with your project manager.
By Betsy Ricotta, Enrole Customer Support
