Overview
The property database simply holds all the details about each of your properties. Naturally, this tends not to be needed for single sites, but as soon as you become a multiple, it’s important to maintain accurate and consistent records of each property.
For lots of companies (even those with many sites), the property database is still a fragmented patchwork of spreadsheets and other data sources. Very often, some of the data is held in many existing systems. This means different naming and numbering conventions, potentially breaking automated reports. Bringing the data into one place means the information can be maintained consistently and relied upon. More than that, the property database can be used to push data to other applications (see important integrations, below), avoiding the need to manually retype every venue name, address and so on.
Note to software developers: this market is poorly served at present. A good solution with the specification below might have a lot of customers!
Critical functions
The property database holds details of all your properties, including:
Address, phone number, email, website etc
Social media accounts, if managed locally
Manager name, ops manager etc
Opening hours, including holiday opening hours
Technical configuration, e.g. number of POS terminals, details of cables, switches, routers, Wifi password
Build information, e.g. blueprints, surveys, floor plans, materials used, suppliers and product codes for consumables like specialist lightbulbs
Photos
Facilities like disabled toilets, accessibility, large print menu etc
Local amenities like nearest transport, parking arrangements
Site access restrictions
Security and health & safety information like fire extinguishers, alarms, locks, keypads and so on
Utility suppliers, meters, readings etc
Planned and reactive maintenance
The system should be able to report on any of the items above.
A dedicated database can also be extremely useful to capture unusual information, like what material the counter tops are made of, what model the coffee machines are, how many benches there are in the kitchen and so on. You never know when this information might be needed again, so recording it in a dedicated application means it will always be to hand.
Important integrations
A dedicated property database will enable you to push information to the following systems without needing to rekey the information:
POS and card payments systems, to ensure each new site is set up correctly
The website and/or mobile app, for store listings, facilities, access and so on
Potentially, some of your HR systems like recruitment, employee relations and payroll, when your employee details are related to a location
Your order ahead, reservations management and loyalty applications, to ensure they are set up correctly and reporting is correctly configured
Users
Your property database might be used by colleagues across the business from all different functions. As with similar systems like the food database, the property database needs strict access and audit controls to ensure important information isn’t lost or altered.
