Setting up a tracking system for a 120-location audit and my Excel spreadsheets are getting unwieldy. Thinking about moving to Access or maybe a simple web database. What fields do you guys track for each location? Obviously account numbers, findings, dollar amounts, but what else is critical for portfolio reporting?
Database setup for multi-site tracking
Carl, we track utility territory, rate schedule, meter type, building age, and square footage. Also critical to track finding category (rate error, demand multiplier, tax issue, etc.) for pattern analysis. The utility contact person and phone number saves tons of time on follow-ups too.
Good suggestions Ken. I hadn't thought about building age and square footage but those would help with the executive summary. Do you track any operational data like store hours or seasonal patterns?
We used to but found it wasn't as useful as expected. The billing errors we find are usually systematic issues that don't correlate much with operational factors. I'd keep it simple initially - you can always add fields later once you see what patterns emerge.