From time to time managers and other users of voter register data may wish to extract data from the voter register database that has not been anticipated by the designers of standard output reports. One way of catering for ad hoc requests is to provide for an on-line reporting facility that permits users to specify a range of variables, such as start dates and finish dates.
Where a user requests data that is not catered for by any standard reports or by a flexible on-line reporting facility, usually the only option left (short of refusing to supply the information) is to ask a programmer to extract the information from the database. This can be an expensive option, particularly where contract programmers are involved, so users should be aware of the cost involved. Where special requests are specially programmed in this manner, it may be desirable to include the request as part of the standard set of reports so that, if the information is requested again, the programmers will not need to be called for again.
