Actually Data Analytics Limited

Two questions for anyone looking after a charity database.

How recent is your last clean backup? And how long would a restore actually take?

Most of us can answer the first one roughly. Very few can answer the second, because it has never needed answering on an ordinary day. It is a much harder question to face when something has been failing quietly for three days.

A response plan is not a big project. It is a handful of decisions made in advance, while everyone is still calm.

Our five step incident response plan for database managers:

https://actuallydataanalytics.com/the-database-managers-incident-response-plan/

If it takes longer than it should, it's usually because EN data lives in several different places and someone has to stitch it together every month.

That's exactly the problem Engaging Networks Essentials is designed to fix. One view. No spreadsheet archaeology. Link in comments.

We've been doing a lot of work on web forms integration into . So I decided to write my thoughts about how good forms are a potentially under-utilised data capture tool. Read more here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-191060011

Further to the piece I wrote earlier today, If you’ve ever been involved in selecting a new CRM or reporting tool, what was harder: the technical comparison or getting internal agreement on what you actually needed?

I always say that CRM is actually made up of several different moving parts:
1. People
2. Data and Processes
3. Systems
4. Domain Knowledge

Systems and Processes are normally the easier part of the equation, but what have been your experiences? Have you included all of these different things or is it just about the data and the system?

Yesterday I wrote about how responsibility grows around charity data roles. A related pattern I see, particularly during procurement support, is the instinct to reach for a new system before clarifying the underlying need.

Sometimes a new CRM is absolutely the right move. I’ve helped a number of charities navigate that process. But without clarity about what “good” looks like, technology tends to amplify existing confusion rather than resolve it.

CRAFT isn’t a substitute for proper procurement or project support. It’s designed to strengthen the thinking that sits underneath those decisions, so that when you do invest in systems, you do so from a clearer position.

If you're looking for a guide on whether your organisation is ready for a CRM then this might help.

In the post this morning I mentioned how responsibility tends to expand quietly in data roles.

I’m interested in how that shows up for you. When new reporting requests arrive, does something else come off your plate or does everything just get absorbed? Is it discussed in your 1-1's or do you just juggle the requests?

No judgement. Just trying to understand the range of experiences.