ABSTRACT
In recent years there has been a massive increase in customer-related data – often unstructured – available in social media and other Big Data sources. This chapter describes a six-step process for developing a customer-related database: define the database functions, define the information requirements, identify the information sources, select the database technology and operating system, populate the database, and maintain the database. Problems at each stage are identified, and solutions proposed. The chapter explains how CRM practitioners try to enhance the quality of data by acquiring customer-related data from competition entries, subscriptions, registrations, and loyalty programmes. The main processes in ensuring that databases are populated with appropriately accurate data are data verification, data validation, de-duplication, and merge-purge. Desirable data attributes include data being shareable, transportable, accurate, relevant, timely and secure. We close with a review of the importance to CRM of data warehouses.
