Like a suit, software just fits better when it is custom made. This holds true especially with customer and product databases. An information technology (IT) consultant can help create a program that fits just right.

With custom-made programs, you can collect, display, print, upload and download the data exactly the way that you want. IT consultants who can create custom database or software abound. But for those who have never outsourced such a project, finding and working with them can be a seemingly complex process.

In this column, I will try to take some of the mystery out of the development process. What follows is a guide on how to work effectively with a database consultant.

It all begins with a vision of the database. Your vision. This should include a basic idea of the information you would like to collect, how you would like this information entered, and what kind of reports you would like generated and whether this information should be exportable in some format. While others can help you develop this vision, it is critical that you make the first attempt of defining this vision.

If staff members will use the database, there probably needs to be an interface that they will use to enter or access data. To make sure that the interface is user-friendly, you should create mockups of what those screens will look like and get feedback from the people who will be using it. While it can be a lot of work to create, getting to this level of detail will point out important nuances you might otherwise overlook.

Once this is finalized, the building can begin. First, the consultant needs to construct or "architect" the tables that will store the information. Then, the screens and reports for this database need to be built as well as any specific loading or exporting capabilities. You should make sure this database can hold the total number of records that you envision and handle the number of simultaneous users that you expect.

A testing period, known as "user acceptance testing," follows the creation process. Taking the time to really hammer at the product is important because you can expect to pay to fix bugs if they are found after the project is completed. Your project should end with information that details how the product was created so that other consultants could build upon it in the future if necessary. This documentation should consist of paper documentation as well as documentation within the software code itself.

The hardest part is finding a person or a team of people who are not only technical enough to create what you want but also skilled enough to guide you through the process to develop a product that you will be happy with now and in the future. These guidelines should help you fill in the holes.

Admittedly, creating custom databases is not cheap. With the rates for programmers in the $70-$150+ range, you should budget at least a couple of thousand dollars for a small project. That number can quickly grow into the tens of thousands of dollars as your project becomes more complex. But the cost can be well worth it if helps you manage and run your business more effectively.