The All-Too-Familiar Data Request Scenario

It's Tuesday afternoon, and you're deep in concentration, working on a critical database project with a looming deadline. Then comes the familiar ping of an urgent email:

"I know the database has all this good data in it. I urgently need a list of all customer transactions by region for last quarter; and can you give it to me in Excel – by Thursday?"

Sound familiar? For database administrators and IT professionals, these ad-hoc data requests are a constant reality. They're often urgent, poorly defined, and come with unrealistic timelines.

The Frustration on Both Sides

If you're nodding your head in recognition, you've likely experienced some of these reactions:

  • "It's yet another interruption to our key project."
  • "It's always an emergency – to the requestor."
  • "As soon as we deliver it, they'll ask for another variant that's almost the same."
  • "I hate for us to mess with Access, VBA code, and pass-thru queries for things like this."

Meanwhile, the business users are equally frustrated:

  • "Why does it take so long to get simple data?"
  • "I don't understand why IT can't just give me what I need when I need it."
  • "If I could just run these reports myself, everyone would be happier."

This disconnect creates tension and inefficiency throughout the organization. Business users need data to make decisions, while IT teams need to maintain database integrity and security while managing their workload.

The Dangerous "Solution"

In desperation, someone inevitably suggests: "Why don't we just give users a way to write queries to get data out of the database themselves?"

As any database professional knows, this is a recipe for disaster. Untrained users writing direct SQL queries against production databases can lead to:

  • Performance issues from poorly optimized queries
  • Security vulnerabilities and data breaches
  • Accidental data corruption
  • Misinterpreted results leading to poor business decisions

A Better Way: EQQ® Bridges the Gap

Ewarenow Quick Query (EQQ®) was designed specifically to solve this problem. It provides a safe, trustworthy way to let users get the data they need without compromising database integrity or security.

How EQQ® Works

  1. Tight Security Controls: You determine exactly who can access what data. EQQ® operates in SELECT-only mode, ensuring users can never insert, update, or delete data in your application database.
  2. Foundation Views: Create simplified, flattened views of your complex data structures. These views become the building blocks for all queries, making the data more accessible while hiding the complexity of your database schema.
  3. Tiered Access Levels:
    • Administrators create the foundation views and set security parameters
    • Power users (typically Excel experts) can create queries based on these views
    • Regular users can run pre-built queries with parameters they select
  4. User Empowerment: Business users get the data they need, when they need it, without IT intervention for every request.

Real-World Benefits

When implemented properly, EQQ® transforms the data access workflow in your organization:

  • IT Teams: Focus on strategic projects instead of constant interruptions for data pulls
  • Business Users: Get data when they need it without waiting in the IT queue
  • Data Quality: Consistent, validated data extraction prevents "multiple versions of the truth"
  • Security: Maintain complete control over who sees what data
  • Efficiency: Eliminate redundant work and reduce the back-and-forth of data requests

Implementation Success Story

A mid-sized manufacturing company implemented EQQ® after years of struggling with the data request bottleneck. Their IT director reports:

"Before EQQ®, we were spending about 30% of our database team's time on ad-hoc data requests. Most were urgent, many were similar to previous requests, and all took time away from our strategic initiatives. Within three months of implementing EQQ®, those requests dropped by 85%. Our power users now create and share queries with their teams, and our IT staff can focus on improving our systems instead of pulling data."

Getting Started with EQQ®

The key to success with EQQ® is proper implementation:

  1. Identify Your Foundation Views: What data do users request most often? Create views that simplify access to this information.
  2. Identify Your Power Users: Which business users have strong Excel skills and understand the data? These are your champions who will create queries for others.
  3. Set Clear Security Boundaries: Determine who needs access to what data and establish appropriate permissions.
  4. Training: Ensure your power users understand how to create effective queries and your regular users know how to run them.

Conclusion

The constant stream of urgent data requests doesn't have to be a source of frustration for your IT team or your business users. With EQQ®, you can create a self-service environment that empowers users while maintaining security and database integrity.

Instead of being the gatekeeper who always says "it will take time" or "we're too busy," you become the enabler who gives users the tools to help themselves. The result is a more efficient organization where data-driven decisions happen faster and IT resources focus on strategic initiatives rather than data extraction.