Online "care tracker" application

[ClassicalBass]

We are a medium - large church looking for a “care tracker” online application. We currently have such an application that was written by a former church member a number of years ago, but for various reasons we want to move to a different application.

The program is used by the deacons to keep notes on the needs of each person, using fields like Urgency, Condition, Location, Care Provider, Care Type, Last Visited, etc.

The list of persons can be filtered and sorted by these categories. In addition there are flags (checkboxes) to alert deacons to special needs and the list can also be filtered by these needs.

Each deacon logs into the system from his/her own computer and tracks the current needs, adding or updating each person if the deacon has new information.

We have considered using a spreadsheet within Google Docs, but that is really not sufficient for this functionality.

Does anyone know of an online application that could meet this need?

Thanks,
John

[andrewf]

I second this request as well.

[ClassicalBass]

I discovered Google's Fusion Tables and that seems to provide a workable solution for this application - I am receiving positive feedback from the deacons.

[rjwalker]

Originally Posted by ClassicalBass

I discovered Google's Fusion Tables and that seems to provide a workable solution for this application - I am receiving positive feedback from the deacons.

Looks interesting. Can you give us an idea of how you are using it?

[DTV-Engineer]

As a deacon, I can see how useful an application like this could be.

As an engineer who writes applications, I constantly see how often on-line applications prove to be unsecure.

As a church member, I would strenuously object to having my most confidential personal information entrusted to such an application, especially without my knowledge or consent. Putting this sort of private data onto any internet-based system that is controlled by a third party and that can be hacked into, is a huge breach of trust.

-- Jeff

[SterlingAug]

It sounds like a Microsoft Access database stored on a secure server at your local church would work best along with a Visual Basic GUI frontend. Check with your local university or technical school and see if one of the instructors would take this on as a Microsoft Office class project. Have the students design the VB with buttons and drop down boxes.

[[Admin] osborn4]

Originally Posted by SterlingAug

It sounds like a Microsoft Access database stored on a secure server at your local church would work best along with a Visual Basic GUI frontend. Check with your local university or technical school and see if one of the instructors would take this on as a Microsoft Office class project. Have the students design the VB with buttons and drop down boxes.

Then who maintains it?

[greg4god]

I do have this thread bookmarked, as if no solution comes around before my current project is finished next month, I'd like to look into building something like this. (I am a web application developer).

I do agree Jeff on the concern about securing the information, as I already envision a system where all personal information (other than searchable fields that the user determines to be searchable) are encrypted in the database, so that even if the database is compromised, you would still need the users passcode (which isn't stored) to decrypt the data (else do a brute force attack).

And for those really concerned, it is quite easy to take a spare machine to set up as a web server to run the program locally (of course then the church would be responsible for backups of their own machine)

So, while you are still looking for a solution, keep posting your ideas of what features you might want in the program so if I can do something like this, I can add them in.

-Greg

[SterlingAug]

Originally Posted by osborn4

Then who maintains it?

You learn how to.

[DTV-Engineer]

Originally Posted by greg4god

...all personal information (other than searchable fields that the user determines to be searchable) are encrypted in the database, so that even if the database is compromised, you would still need the users passcode (which isn't stored) to decrypt the data (else do a brute force attack).

Unless I'm missing something, encrypting the data means that the deacons have to share the same encrytion key (passcode), which makes this difficult to truly secure. It's the same basic problem most churches have with physical security: too many keys floating around makes it easy to lose track of who has access. Just as it's inconvenient at best to change all of the locks, it's also a pain to re-encrypt all of the database and redistribute encryption keys. And what happens when deacons leave, for whatever reason?

I strongly believe that sensitive personal information needs to be handled with the greatest care, and this emphatically precludes storing or transmitting it across any public network, encrypted or not.

Regards,

Jeff

[greg4god]

Well, some people will be comfortable, some won't up to them. Some churches already use online membership programs which from my understandings will also keep track of financials as well in at least one I looked at.

I do have an already in place "multi-key" encryption method for another system I have built, and well I just don't like to advertise the methods (in case I end up not having time to do this project). If I do go forward with the system I would explain it and demonstrate it to anyone who wants to use it and wants more details.

Another feature I have in one system I built for a company, they had past issue another system, and employee let go got into the accounts and started wiping out their client data. To ease their mind I built them an "Emergency Stop". Going to a specific URL, and entering one of three codes locked all access (even from their accounts in case compromised) for 30 minutes. They loved it. (to date they never had to use it)

Also, like I said, for most secured, they could take computer and set it up with WAMP and run the program locally on their own machine, locked down to just a single system.

I'm quite paranoid about data myself, so I try my best to cover it as much as possible.

It won't be fore everyone, and in the end, the users can put as much or as little in the system as possible. keeping personal information on file at the office, but allowing the assigning, scheduling, and reporting to be online.

I do appreciate the concerns, as hey you never know, someone may throw in an consideration I may have not thought of, or in a different way, and it would help me make it better.

-Greg

[Andrew.Wheeler]

Check out churchtraconline!

churchtraconline.com (it won't let me post url)

Its awesome, I helped out a lot with beta testing.
Very reasonably priced!
Can track membership, notes, giving, groups, child checkin, etc
and it's mobile compatible.