Database applications allow
management to have 'The State of the Union' at their fingertips, allowing them
to focus their attention on hotspots as they emerge (i.e. long before they
become a problem). Database applications can be designed to create 'exceptions
only' reports, eliminating the need to work through pages of data before finding
the critical ones.
With the built in logic, databases can prevent
users from making wrong decisions (e.g. overbooking a bus in the case of a tour
operator) or just flag critical cases for special attention (e.g. an order with
an 'impossibly' short lead-time).
Depending on the application, databases allow
you to process stored information into prioritized 'To Do' lists making sure
everybody invests his/her precious time into the most important activity. These
priority lists are always up to date as new information is immediately processed
when entered.
Database applications can be designed to structure the processes
that guide the inner workings of an organization. They enforce 'The Way Things
Are Done', thus preventing e.g.:
-
missed or incomplete steps,
-
working with incomplete information
(because the previous step is not concluded)
Once entered into a computer, the latest
information is immediately available to all users without searching for paper
files or depending on individual 'Cheat Sheets' that tend to be chronically
outdated because information enters an organization through different venues.
While an organization does its 'thing', the
same information is used again and again. Databases can automate these
occurrences with reports and documents based on data already entered, thus also
eliminating transcription mistakes.
Last but not least, with the stored data all kinds of reports
can be generated that help management in making better decisions,
whether or not this specific evaluation was planned at the design time.
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