Practical Management of International Data
A 2 Day Seminar
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Speaker: |
Graham Rhind |
How do you structure a database to handle an address
from anywhere in the world? How do you make your Internet input forms as suitable
for people with no family name as for those who have two? How do you manage
data from such diverse languages and writing systems as English, Hungarian,
Greek, Thai and Chinese? How should you ensure that everybody enters a date
in the same way?
The challenges facing any manager of international data are fascinating - how do you approach them so that the challenges don’t become nightmares?
Despite being the aspect which has the most influence on the effectiveness of any marketing campaign, the database is usually given the least attention. I.T. staff concentrate on hardware and other technical aspects whilst the marketing staff concentrate on the message being sent. The database tends to get squeezed in the middle without its required share of the resources, and this lack of attention is arguably a major reason why many marketing and data warehousing projects fail.
Neglecting a database when it contains national data is very damaging for a company, in terms of failed campaigns, financial waste and its relationship with its customers. When a database contains international data the effect of that neglect is greatly increased. International data requires a good deal more time, money and knowledge to handle properly. An international database can contain data in up to 5000 languages, from 241 different countries and territories. The data can represent addresses which should be output in around 130 different formats, and personal names which follow 30 different formats.
The globalisation of the economy, improving hardware and software, and new data collection methods, such as the Internet are leading to companies holding larger amounts of data from increasing numbers of countries. The knowledge that companies apply to handling this data is not increasing at the same rate, and this is clearly shown in every aspect of international data management, from name and address input forms on the Internet which will only allow you to enter details if you are in one country, to the bizarre ways that some companies handle your personal details in international mailings.
Many of the problems associated with international data management boil down to ignorance, and being prepared for the challenges that will be faced by a company when managing international names and addresses is half the battle. This seminar details the problems that a company is likely to encounter and suggests, where available, solutions and ways of preventing the problems arising. It tackles data management from the point of view of the data rather than approaching it as a technical issue.
Data Managers, Database Managers, Data Administrators,
Data Analysts, Database Designers, Data warehouse Personnel, Customer Relations
Managers, Customer Support Personnel, Quality Assurance Personnel, Information
Stewards, Marketing & Sales Personnel and Globalisation staff. Anybody
who relies upon, comes into contact with, or manages international data.
All sections will be illustrated with real-world examples and demonstrations.
As well as the seminar documentation, all delegates
will receive a free copy of the book ‘Practical International Data Management
– A guide to working with global names and addresses’, written by Graham
Rhind.
Descriptions
and Ordering from AMAZON
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Graham Rhind is an acknowledged expert in the field of data management, and has specialised for over 12 years in international address and postal code methodologies. He gained his knowledge by working with international data from both the marketing side and the technical side, giving a unique insight into the needs of all aspects of international data management. He is now an independent consultant and owner of GRC Database Information, helping customers as diverse as postal authorities, customer care centres and Internet mapping companies to understand and manage international data. His researches have led him to publish three books, "Building and Maintaining a European Direct Marketing Database" (1994) , "Global Source Book for Address Database Management"(1998, updated bi-annually) and "Practical International Data Management - A guide to working with global names and addresses" (2001). He is a regular speaker at conferences in both Europe and the United States, and has developed a range of software for optimal international address data standardisation, formatting, validation and de-duplication. |
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