The Challenge of Secure Communication Records in a Single, Shared database

 

Most database systems can record contact/communication history with your contacts, prospects, donors, benefactors et al. i.e. letters/emails, meetings, phone calls, services used etc. But what if your organisation and security needs mean that only some of your users should only see some such communication records?

Let me give 2 examples:

• If John Smith is a major donor, then you will want your major donor fundraisers to be able to see the communication record of the important meeting you had with John last week; but what if the detail in that meeting was so sensitive that you don't want fundraisers in other teams to be able to see it?
• Or, what if you are using your database for benefactors as well as donors, and what if Jane Smith is both a donor and a benefactor - thus, if you add a communication about Jane which only your charity's "Services' users" should be able to see, maybe a Counselling Session she attended, then how do you stop the fundraisers from seeing the fact she attended that session?

Now, some database systems offer functionality around security so that they can completely hide such communications from specific users. However, if you completely hide all such communications, then what about the following case: a fundraiser opens Jane's record and because he can't see that Jane had 3 communications in the last month with your charity's service users, he thus has an incomplete picture of Jane's interaction with you and might therefore approach Jane with insufficient or inappropriate knowledge.

And if they can't see the total communication history, and you are basing any appeal letters, event invites on recent or total communications made, then such analysis may be skewed.

So, how do we show all database users that some sort of contact/communication was made with a donor/contact, but only show relevant users the details of such communication?

It isn't necessarily as easy as it might first sound. Many systems have "one line" (summary) overviews on a Communication History form showing all communications at a 'top level', and then you drill-down (double-click) into each instance to see the details of a particular communication made. So at the most basic level, you want to stop some users from being able to drill-down into the separate communications where they are of Type X etc. This might be possible in some databases.

But taking this a step further: if you, say, have the communication "subject" or communication "type" on that one-line overview, even those few words might tell the "wrong" users too much about that communication - especially in the example of where donors and benefactors are all held on the same database; in that instance, even a subject such as "Counselling Session" might be considered inappropriate for fundraisers to see.

So, ideally, you want one user to see a view where the subject/type is the full details, but another user should only see that "some form" of communication was made but not the details. That can be trickier than it sounds for database developers.

So I throw this question out to you all: if you use a database where this problem has arisen and has been resolved, then do let me know how in the comments below. Or if you are a database supplier who has got around this problem, tell us how in the comments below. Or if you have ideas/thoughts on any of this, or further examples of similar issues, again, add them below. I'd love to hear more.