The process usually begins with excitement, followed by fear. Partnering organizations often don't realize when they sign on that a GIS is a long-term proposition, one that will require maintenance and use, long past the initial delivery date. This usually begins at the opening series of interviews. One of the more important aspects of these interviews is to get the users to examine the status and state of their own databases. The formats sometimes are DOS-only or are encrypted.
Some databases are cyclical victims of vigilance followed by indifference.
Almost none of them, no matter how well constructed or updated, were made with GIS in mind. Because many employees work intimately with sites and people, and time is such a crucial factor, many things never get written down. It can frighten the heck out of people when someone says they have an archaeological sites database, but it hasn't been updated in six years. But while this can be scary up front, it's actually good that it happens. It often gives these organizations a chance to refine their databases, update their data, re-examine methods.