Summary: Developed in 1994, the White House data base replaced several existing data bases with a single system that was supposed to be easier to use and provide a greater level of service to users. Among other things, the data base is used to prepare invitation lists for White House events and to provide information used to write thank you notes, Christmas cards, and correspondence. Information in the data base ranges from names, addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, and contributor information to individual relationships with the First Family and political affiliations. According to the White House, the data base contains personal information on about 200,000 persons. In developing its data base, the White House acquired well-established, commercially available products and created a system that users seem generally satisfied with. However, the design of the data base limits system performance. Further, the system, while having in place some internal controls, needs additional controls to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the data.
