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Select Control Database

Overview

The Select Control Database (SelCtlDB) is a Microsoft Access application designed for tracking of constitutents and others by non-profits.

This database is provided as an open source product to help start-up nonprofits avoid data problems that often develop with use of less formal data management approaches such as spreadsheets, and to avoid the substantial expenses that often result during later clean up efforts when data is poorly managed.

Open Source Licensing

The application is distributed by NW Data Centric under the open source Gnu Lesser General Public License.

Rigorous Data Storage

The underlying data structures are specifically designed to avoid common non-profit database deficiencies. Data structures are also designed for generality, to match the basic information needs of most nonprofits.

In addition, nearly all code lists used to populate drop-down lists, etc are user-customizable.

Record Selection Tools

The database includes a series of sophisticated record selection forms that provide the user powerful abilities to search for records.

The specialized controls used on these forms result in the name of the database (select control).

Records matching the user's specifications may then be viewed, edited, or summarized using numerous pre-defined reports. Reports can be used to generate printed output, records indicating outreach recipients, data export files.

Information Subjects

• Grants
  • Deliverables
  • Achieved deliverable milestones
• Outreaches -bulk communications like mailings, events, workshops, classes
  • Expenses
  • Responses
  • Involved parties
  • Staff mbr roles
  • Links to grant deliverables
• Parties - Tracking account for indididual, business, foundation, agency, family, etc
  • Contacts - Direct personal communications such as phone calls, meetings, personal letters
  • Email addresses
  • Communication preferences
  • Group memberships - participation in committees, advisory groups, etc
  • Locations
  • Party categories
  • Payments
    • Products - each payment can be applied to several products
    • Gift recipients
  • Payment schedules
  • Phone numbers
  • Persons associated with the party
  • Volunteer preferences and skills
  • Volunteer actions performed
• Persons
  • Ethnicities
  • Languages
  • Personal events
  • Racial background
  • Relationships to other persons
  • Relationships to parties
  • Voter registration information
• Price sets - sets of product prices applied for a specified date range
• Products - memberships, contributions, merchandise, tickets, etc
  • Included group memberships
  • Product categorizations
• Publications
  • Issues
• Staff members

Multiple-User Design

The database is specifically designed from the ground up to facilitate multiple user access.

Later conversions of the server component to DBMSs such as MySQL, SQL*Server, Postgres, etc. will offer higher performance than current MS-Access implementations.

Multiple Versions

Several implementations of the Select Control DB data model may be downloaded from the downloads area of this web site.

In addition, we have created customizations for several groups with unique information needs. Unique needs for your group may already be partly addressed by work completed in one of these projects. Brief descriptions of the data structures associated with several of these modifications are available on the page describing data models

Base For Customization

Because the base application was designed for generality, and is provided under a generous open source license, it provides an excellent starting point for modifications required by groups with unique information needs. No need to develop common core functions from scratch. Technical documentation provided on this web site should allow a skilled developer to revise the system as needed.

Last modified: 12:13:55 27-Feb-2018