Database Design and Implementation
At DSI, we watch your servers,
so you don't have to.
Database Build Services
Whether your database is large, small, business-to-business, business-to-consumer, or nonprofit, we can create a marketing database for you!
Our Approach
DSI builds databases that marketers like to use. Experience has shown us that no matter how sophisticated and clever a design might be, if marketers don't like their database, they won't use it.
At DSI, we understand that there is a difference between a relational database and a marketing database. We do not employ a "cookie-cutter" approach; each database we build is customized to the particular needs of our clients using our unique and proprietary CLEAR™ database design methodology.
The CLEAR™ Difference
The CLEAR™ model is a logical alternative to the well-known Star Schema. While such traditional database design techniques focus on tables, rows, and columns, marketing databases needs to focus on the customer, a concept embraced whole-heartedly with the CLEAR™ database design method.
CLEAR™ databases are both intuitive for users and efficient in terms of storage requirements and performance. We currently have CLEAR™ databases in production for both large (60 million customer records) and small (200,000 customer records) installations. See our white paper for a complete description of the CLEAR™ database design process.
Because of the technical difficulty in running marketing campaigns on relational systems, many of our competitors adopt an un-CLEAR™ strategy of aggregating information onto a single, one-row-per-customer table. There are several flaws with this practice:
- It is time consuming - updates take much longer to perform.
- It limits the types of queries marketers can run.
- It tends to add dozens of columns to the database, forcing users to scroll through lengthy lists of field names in order to find what they want.
Because of MarketWide's unique ability to perform complex calculations on the fly, there is little, if any, need to pre-aggregate information. Instead, DSI prefers to build CLEAR™ databases that store your data at its "natural" level, and empower your users to decide how it should be aggregated. CLEAR™ databases designed by DSI are fast, powerful, flexible, and user friendly.
Read more about how we build a better database.Where will my database be located?
DSI offers two options for CLEAR™ database implementation:
Installation at your location
We can install a fully working CLEAR™ database at your location. You can maintain it yourself or use DSI's data management services.
Installation at DSI with Internet access
We can also set up a dedicated database server loaded with your data here at DSI. With this option, we establish secure internet access for your users to run campaigns against your database from hundreds or even thousands of miles away! Clients who choose this option usually also use DSI's data management services.
How much will my CLEAR™ database cost?
To request a price quote, please e-mail us with this information:
At minimum, layout information should include:
- Field names
- Number of characters allowed in each field
- Data type of each field
- Descriptions of each field
We will respond to your request within 3 business days. If necessary, we may contact you for more information in order to provide you with an accurate price quote.
We can also Manage and/or Host your database for you!
Find out about our Try Before You Buy option which lets you see the MarketWide difference on your own data.
