Last week I jetted of to Las Vegas, Nevada with my co-workers to attend the National Center for Database Marketing (NCDM) Conference. This conference was not like the conferences that we as database professionals typically attend. Rather than offering sessions about database maintenance, performance and design the offerings were focused on its use by Marketing Analysts and how it can be used more effectively to manage their campaigns.

At first I was not sure how much I would get out of the conference since it was focused in an area to which I was unfamiliar; but as I attended each session I learned how my customers in the Marketing Department use data. I learned about their needs. I learned about the questions that they ask when they approach data. I saw how the tools and methods that I have offered in the past, while currently effective, could be improved. I saw opportunities for me to anticipate their needs when provisioning data for their analysis.

I learned some of the marketing-speak so that I can better understand the requests that come my way. In the Marketing world the term "Business Intelligence" is referred to as "Customer Intelligence". The term "Marketing Database" is their portion of the "Data Warehouse" that stores data that is important to the Marketing Analyst. Understanding these terms and concepts will aid me in building a Business Intelligence solution for the company.

At the NCDM Conference, I purchased a book titled "Strategic Database Marketing" authored by Arthur Hughes. This book further discusses the terms and concepts that were presented at the NCDM Conference. I look forward to reading it and gaining a better understanding of the data needs of those that my technical services support.

There were many sessions that discussed the phenomenon of social media and how marketing efforts can take advantage of it. It was interesting to see not only how Twitter, Facebook and blogging can be leveraged in a Marketing campaign; but also see how these tools can utilized as a data source for analysis. These sessions were presented not from people who are theorizing about how these can be used; but from Marketers who have successfully leveraged social media in their campaigns.

As I boarded the plane back to Indianapolis I reflected on my experience at the NCDM Conference. While there were some sessions that were better than others, it was a very positive and worthwhile experience. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to attend. I would encourage all database professionals to seek to understand data from the perspective of their customers. Attending conferences such as NCDM go a long way in that effort. Compliment your technical education with the understanding of the business that you support. It makes you a well-rounded and effective IT professional.