3 top tips for data entry best practice
As any database user will tell you, your database software is only ever going to be as good as the quality of data you feed into it. It’s often the case that companies invest good money into incredibly powerful software, but then don’t implement the best ways of entering and maintaining the data that drives it. Used correctly, your software is one of the most important tools that drives your business, but in the wrong hands it can become more of a costly hindrance.
At SMP Ltd we are evangelical about the importance of great data entry and maintenance to support the use of our software, and here we share our three top tips for turbo-charged best data practice:
- Consistency
One of the most vital elements of data entry best practice is to make everything consistent – whether it’s spelling, labels or punctuation protocol. That means deciding on a ‘house style’ and sticking to it. This should be kept as a central document that every database user has access to. That way, your data will be stored in a consistent way that will make it easy to use, manage and access.
- Spelling
And speaking of spelling… make sure all of your entries are free of typos. If your database is littered with bad spelling, you’ll find that it’s really difficult to find what you are looking for as the search functions may not pick it up. If English isn’t your forte, don’t worry – there are plenty of online tools such as Grammarly that will make your life much easier.
- Regular cleansing
A database that isn’t regularly cleansed will lead to more and more problems, and before you know it the cleaning will be such a big job that nobody has the time or inclination to get stuck in. Schedule regular data cleansing periods where you tidy up missing cells, fix duplicate entries and generally make sure that particular tranche of your software is as up to date as possible.
HolisTech leads the field in CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management Software) – it’s a powerful tool that can revolutionise your company’s scheduled maintenance tasks. While in years gone by, scheduling and managing your company’s maintenance was a huge undertaking, this software takes all the hard work out of it, leaving you free to press on with more important jobs.
But it’s only as good as you make it – and the software will really start working for you as soon as you prioritise accurate and regular data entry and maintenance. Taking the time to create accurate and up-to-date records will pay off in dividends, meaning your company’s maintenance jobs are one less thing to worry about.
