No Print MIS Data Custody Battles Here

Recently, I published a blog post to make the case that Odyssey and Marketing Ideas For Printers are built for the long haul. You’d expect to hear nothing less, right? But what if you’re not using Odyssey for the long haul? Smart businesspeople make decisions influenced not only by the adoption of new software, but also by the departure options provided by that software. That’s why a question like this comes up sometimes:

I like what I see in Odyssey. What if I get started now, but in a few years decide I want to move on? How do I get my data?

Let me first start by saying we have no intention of running some “data extortion ring” here. We’re not going to hold your data hostage; that’s just not who we are. It’s your data, and we’re honored you entrust us with it! If, for some unknown reason, you find it necessary to part ways in the future, it’s still your data, and you’re entitled to it.

Export Your Data

That’s why you’ll see plenty of export buttons in Odyssey. As long as you’re a subscriber, you’ll always have the opportunity to export data from Odyssey’s reports.

How About a Different Format?

In a perfect world, software wouldn’t be constrained to the alphabet soup of file formats like SQL, XML, and JDF. But let’s face it, every technology vendor has different goals and therefore approaches data, and the format of the data, through the lens of their goals. No two goals are the same, so it’s tough to come up with a “one size fits all” data format. That also means it can be tough to match the data output from one software to the expectations of data input from another software.

But we’ll try.

If, in the future, it becomes necessary for you to retrieve your data from Odyssey, we’ll do our very best to create a data export that matches your needs. Just know that a request for a “hand-crafted” data export (that is, something beyond the standard data export provided within Odyssey) is something that requires careful planning to do it right, which means preparing specialized data exports for your use is a billable activity.

The Bottom Line: It’s Your Data

Here’s the bottom line: If you start with Odyssey, we trust you’ll be a customer for life. However, if you feel you need to leave Odyssey and take your data elsewhere, you’ll have plenty of (free) opportunities within Odyssey to export your data, or you may choose to request the “hand-crafted” data export. Either way, it’s your data, and we won’t hold it hostage. But before you can even get to the point of exporting data, you need to start using Odyssey, so make MarketingIdeasForPrinters.com/mis your next stop!

Dave Hultin
President, Marketing Ideas For Printers

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