Standard Windows GUI look and feel: the Niche software uses drag-and-drop, drop-down menus, pick-lists, search shortcuts, wild cards, popup calendars, buttons, and checkboxes. Anyone with basic Windows point-and-click skills can navigate the system easily with little or no training. Extensive keyboard and function key shortcuts have been provided for power users.

One time data entry (master filing): after a piece of data is entered, it becomes available to all other authorized users of the system. It need never be entered again. Data can originate from a linked system, or it can be entered from any workstation. Officers can enter data directly, or provide information to records personnel for transcription. Images, video clips, and scanned documents can be stored in the system and linked to incident files, persons, or other information entities.

Easy linking: if an item of data is to be associated with another item (a person to be associated with a particular incident, for example), users simply link the two existing items.

Data quality: mandatory field warnings, pick-lists, and field rules ensure that the data being entered meets quality standards. Where appropriate, the system provides other ways to make data entry easier and more accurate. For example, date fields provide a point-and-click calendar for selecting the correct day, and the person description window provides a pop-up image of a human body for recording the locations of identifying marks.

On-line forms: Users can enter routine incident information quickly. Customized forms can be added to accommodate local procedures, and on-screen labels can be configured to present familiar terminology. Flexible navigation allows users to enter information in the order most convenient for the job at hand. Personnel can also use fast-fill forms: single windows that include all the fields required for initial reports or other common data entry activity, laid out in a format convenient for filling in information. The fast-fill forms can be set up to be based on familiar forms already in use in your agency.

The Overview window works the same way as Windows Explorer. It displays an entity, (e.g., an incident) along with every piece of information linked to that entity, in a tree structure. Within the Overview window, users can expand, select and open entities and linked data. Selecting a linked item displays the accompanying information, making drilling down through the data fast and intuitive. The Overview can be accessed from anywhere in the system, allowing sophisticated investigative analysis of interrelated information in the database.

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