Databases

So today I am sitting at my desk inputting more and more names into a database for the Conference Nominating Committee. Oh, the joys of being the techie in the group (and the only one under 35...big surprise there).

This is a big task but nowhere near the challenge it takes to input all of the data from all our records at the church. We are talking well over a thousand members from the beginning of our records to current (close to 2000), and the various baptisms, weddings and other information we have in our written records. It is scary how much information is there.

The trick is finding a good way to get it all inserted into the computer database we have from Membership Plus 8.0. We need to hire someone to input it all, and that remains their sole objective. The kicker to it is that we would probably need to get another computer workstation so that they could have their own set-up to do the work.

I am not sure how long or how much money it would take to get such a person in place and complete the task. It is a bugger to be sure.

So, that's my rant for the day, records are hard to arrange and locate without a centralized database, and the work to get the database is harder than trying to find them in written records, at least until the work is substantially completed and therefore easier to locate and saves time in the long run, yada, yada, yada...but I really wish it were done. Anybody know a good miracle worker. It seems I have yet to hear of computer miracles, though there are many to do with nature and the human body, not to mention a few of the animals of the world...when is God gonna move on to miracles of the Computer?

Peace,