| Data entry and management are core issues for | | | | customer accounts or portfolios have to be updated |
| many industries that utilize large amounts of | | | | with the new features or account flags. With a large |
| customer accounts, process client transactions, and | | | | clientele, it quickly becomes impractical for a |
| maintain and update records. With large amounts of | | | | knowledge worker to manually investigate every |
| data, even a simple action that may only require 5 | | | | account, determine how the policy change affects |
| seconds to perform but has to be done on 50,000 | | | | this particular customer, and then accurately updating |
| accounts quickly requires a large amount of | | | | the portfolio. |
| manpower and costs to complete. End user | | | | All of these decisions can be captured through end |
| automation of database tasks is the single most | | | | user automation and the use of scripts and macros. |
| powerful tool that data managers have to keep | | | | Let us say that a bank wants to update their fee |
| information costs low while performing those tasks | | | | structures and change the way accounts are billed. |
| with maximum precision. The best way to understand | | | | Having to go through each entry to determine |
| the utility and effectiveness of end user automation | | | | account type, applicable changes, and then correctly |
| is to see it in action. | | | | altering the account is a time consuming process for |
| Troubleshooting And Quick Turnaround | | | | even a small bank branch. End user automation would |
| When errors or inconsistency in data appear or a | | | | allow bank personnel to set up a few rules on the |
| project has to be implemented with little lead time, | | | | necessary account changes, create a quick macro, |
| end user automation is the solution to both situations. | | | | and then run the script on their database. Doing this, |
| For example, a company performs an acquisition, | | | | users can accurately and quickly make a global |
| adding new staff to the payroll; there is often little or | | | | change. |
| no lead time concerning company acquisitions. | | | | The many uses of end user automation for effective |
| Converting old payroll data into a single system will | | | | data entry and manipulation form the basis for cost |
| require a substantial investment of time and money | | | | effective database management. Beyond |
| and delays in the project means that workers will not | | | | troubleshooting and managing change, it is integral |
| get paid on time. | | | | when generating effective reports and figures from |
| End user automation would allow data entrants and | | | | data mining and analysis in order to support decision |
| database managers to quickly copy the needed | | | | making, information sharing, and marketing initiatives. |
| personnel files from the new employees and parse | | | | Migrating data from legacy systems or consolidating |
| the data into the existing payroll system. A script or | | | | information under a single umbrella program, such as |
| macro can be quickly created and then employed to | | | | customer relationship management software, can |
| save the cost and time of manual data entry. | | | | best be done through this type of scripting. In the |
| Managing Change | | | | end, in order to get the most out of databases with |
| When policy changes occur in a service business, | | | | less overhead, these tasks are a key component. |