Direct Registration Links for Paid Park Programs
This work sample shows how I solved a customer problem on the Delaware State Parks website, one of my first projects at DNREC. Visitors who clicked “Register Online” for a paid program were sent to a generic page on our vendor’s ticketing site. From there, they had to pick the park, open the ticket list, choose the program, and find the date on a calendar before they could buy a ticket. Our vendor handles all of our transactions, including camping, pavilion rentals, programs, annual passes, and merchandise, and told us their Java-based platform could not produce direct links to each program and date.
Instead of accepting that limit, I built the links myself. I tested the vendor’s URLs for different programs until I found a string format that worked every time. Next, I built a master lookup table in our database with every park, program name, and vendor program ID. Then I wrote scripts that turned each program date from a format like 10/1/2026 into the date format the vendor’s system needs (Thu+Oct+01+2026). The database rules set by DTI did not allow temporary tables, so I split the conversion into steps. A final SQL script combines the program ID and date into a direct registration link and writes it back to the Programs table.
This is my link creation script:
SELECT ParkName, ProgName,
concat(‘https://delawarestateparks.reserveamerica.com/tourDetails.do?contractCode=DE’,’&tourId=’,TourID,’&tourDate=’,AspiraDate,’&numberOfTicketsSearched=1′) as AspiraURL
From Aspira_Load
Order BY ID
The master lookup table and link script are still in active use today, now with a CSV load file for the new website. This is an example (saved as PDF) of a final load sheet:
This sample demonstrates these skills:
- Problem solving: finding a workaround when the vendor said a solution was not possible.
- Technical and data skills: URL testing, database design, data conversion, and SQL scripting.
- Working within constraints: designing around DTI database restrictions instead of stopping at them.
- Vendor communication: working through the issue with our vendor liaison before building my own solution.
- Process thinking: building a repeatable process that is still used years later.
How it connects to business knowledge and professional experience
At its core, this project fixed a weak spot in the customer’s path to purchase. Every extra click between interest and payment is a chance for a customer to give up. Sending visitors straight to the right program and date made buying a ticket easier, which supports program sales and the revenue they bring in. In marketing terms, it improved the customer experience and lowered the barriers to buying.
It also connects to management. I worked with an outside vendor, respected the limits of their platform and the state’s database rules, and still delivered a result. The project shows how I manage a vendor relationship: I ask for what we need, and when the answer is no, I look for a solution that works for both sides.
Finally, the project shows an entrepreneurial mindset. I saw a problem that was costing the organization, took ownership of it, and built a low-cost, lasting solution with the tools I already had. I plan to use the same approach for my BBQ sauce company, where making it easy for customers to buy will be just as important.