There are some key questions to ask when evaluating the use of IEG in any application:
Many of the current uses of IEG stem from the need to support an application for products and services offered by agencies either externally or internally. The information captured is generally client related information, such as client personal details, their family or household details and details of their needs.
Often agencies already have data about a client; therefore they can source the information from another system using some key pieces of information like a social security number. This allows them to verify the client information being entered or retrieve to assist with the application.
Some applications are complex and require information from many sources. Clients may have to enter information that is not close to hand. For example, the required information may be held by their employer. They may need the ability to store what they have entered and return to the application at a later time once they have all the required data.
Clients may be exposed to simple screening applications that inform them of their entitlements under current or new legislation. This information is often unreliable and temporary data must be removed from the system after the client logs out or within a set period of time.
These requirements drive the use of IEG and provide important information on the use of the data over its lifetime.
So, let's start with the basics: we want to capture and store information about a client.