1 = Importing materials in the staff client =
4 Evergreen exists to connect users to the materials represented by bibliographic
5 records, call numbers, and copies -- so getting these materials into your
6 Evergreen system is vital to a successful system. There are two primary means
7 of getting materials into Evergreen:
9 * The Evergreen staff client offers the *MARC Batch Importer*, which is a
10 flexible interface primarily used for small batches of records;
11 * Alternately, import scripts can load data directly into the database, which is
12 a highly flexible but much more complex method of loading materials suitable
13 for large batches of records such as the initial migration from your legacy
16 == Staff client batch record imports ==
17 The staff client has a utility for importing batches of bibliographic and item
18 records available through *Cataloging > MARC Batch Import/Export*. In addition
19 to importing new records, this interface can be used to match incoming records
20 to existing records in the database, add or overlay MARC fields in the existing
21 record, and add copies to those records.
23 The MARC Batch Import interface may also be colloquially referred to as
24 "Vandelay" in the Evergreen community, referring to this interface's internals
25 in the system.You will also see this name used in several places in the editor.
26 For instance, when you click on the *Record Match Sets*, the title on the screen
27 will be *Vandelay Match Sets*.
29 === When to use the MARC Batch Importer ===
31 * When importing in batches of up to 500 to 1,000 records.
32 * When you need the system to match those incoming records to existing records
33 and overlay or add fields to the existing record.
34 * When you need to add items to existing records in the system.
36 WARNING: If you are importing items that do not have barcodes or call numbers, you
37 must enable the _Vandelay Generate Default Barcodes_ and _Vandelay Default
38 Barcode Prefix (vandelay.item.barcode.prefix)_ settings.
40 === Record Match Sets ===
41 Click the *Record Match Sets* button to identify how Evergreen should match
42 incoming records to existing records in the system.
44 These record match sets can be used when importing records through the MARC
45 Batch Importer or when importing order records through the Acquisitions Load
46 MARC Order Records interface.
48 Common match points used when creating a match set include:
50 * MARC tag 020a (ISBN)
51 * MARC tag 022a (ISSN)
53 * MARC tag 028a (Publisher number)
55 === Create Match Sets ===
56 . On the *Record Match Sets* screen, click *New Match Set* to create a set of
57 record match points. Give the set a *Name*. Assign the *Owning Library* from
58 the dropdown list. The *Match Set Type* should remain as *biblio*. Click
60 . If you don't see your new set in the list, in the upper left corner of the
61 staff client window, click the *Reload* button.
62 . If you had to reload, click the *Record Match Sets* button to get back to
63 that screen. Find your new set in the list and click its name. (The name will
64 appear to be a hyperlink.) This will bring you to the *Vandelay Match Set
66 . Create an expression that will define the match points for the incoming
67 record. You can choose from two areas to create a match: Record Attribute (MARC
68 fixed fields) or MARC Tag and Subfield. You can use the Boolean operators AND
69 and OR to combine these elements to create a match set.
70 . When adding a Record Attribute or MARC tag/subfield, you also can enter a
71 Match Score. The Match Score indicates the relative importance of that match
72 point as Evergreen evaluates an incoming record against an existing record. You
73 can enter any integer into this field. The number that you enter is only
74 important as it relates to other match points.
76 Recommended practice is that you create a match score of one (1) for the least
77 important match point and assign increasing match points to the power of 2 to
78 working points in increasing importance.
79 . After creating a match point, drag the completed match point under the folder
80 with the appropriately-named Boolean folder under the Expression tree.
82 image::media/create_match_sets.png[Creating a Match Point]
83 . Click *Save Changes to Expression*.
85 === Quality Metrics ===
86 * Quality metrics provide a mechanism for Evergreen to measure the quality of
87 records and to make importing decisions based on quality.
88 * Metrics are configured in the match set editor.
89 * Quality metrics are not required when creating a match set.
90 * You can use a value in a record attribute (MARC fixed fields) or a MARC tag
91 as your quality metric.
92 * The encoding level record attribute can be one indicator of record quality.
94 image::media/record_quality_metrics.png[Quality Metric Grid]
96 === Import Item Attributes ===
97 If you are importing items with your records, you will need to map the data in
98 your holdings tag to fields in the item record. Click the *Holdings Import
99 Profile* button to map this information.
101 . Click the *New Definition* button to create a new mapping for the holdings tag.
102 . Add a *Name* for the definition.
103 . Use the *Tag* field to identify the MARC tag that contains your holdings
105 . Add the subfields that contain specific item information to the appropriate
107 . At a minimum, you should add the subfields that identify the *Circulating
108 Library*, the *Owning Library*, the *Call Number* and the *Barcode*.
109 . For more details, see the full list of import fields.
111 NOTE: All fields (except for Name and Tag) can contain a MARC subfield code
112 (such as "a") or an XPATH query. You can also use the
113 xref:admin:librarysettings.adoc#lse-vandelay[related library settings] to set defaults for some of these fields.
115 image::media/batch_import_profile.png[Partial Screenshot of a Holdings Import Profile]
118 === Overlay/Merge Profiles ===
119 If Evergreen finds a match for an incoming record in the database, you need to
120 identify which fields should be replaced, which should be preserved, and which
121 should be added to the record. Click the *Merge/Overlay Profiles* button to
122 create a profile that contains this information.
124 These overlay/merge profiles can be used when importing records through the
125 MARC Batch Importer or when importing order records through the Acquisitions
126 Load MARC Order Records interface.
128 Evergreen comes pre-installed with two default profiles:
130 * *Default merge* - No fields from incoming record are added to match. This
131 profile is useful for item loads or for order record uploads.
132 * *Default overlay* - Incoming record will replace existing record.
134 You can customize the overlay/merge behavior with a new profile by clicking the
135 *New Merge Profile* button. Available options for handling the fields include:
137 * *Preserve specification* - fields in the existing record that should be
139 * *Replace specification* - fields in existing record that should be replaced
140 by those in the incoming record.
141 * *Add specification* - fields from incoming record that should be added to
142 existing record (in addition to any already there.)
143 * *Remove specification* - fields that should be removed from incoming record.
145 You can add multiple tags to these specifications, separating each tag with a
148 === Importing the records ===
149 After making the above configurations, you are now ready to import your
152 . Click the *Import Records* button
153 . Provide a unique name for the queue where the records will be loaded
154 . Identify the match set that should be used for matching
155 . If you are importing items, identify the *Import Item Attributes* definition
156 in the Holdings Import Profile
157 . Select a record source
158 . Select the overlay/merge profile that defines which fields should be
159 replaced, added or preserved
160 . Identify which records should be imported, the options are:
161 ** *Import Non-Matching Records* will automatically import records that have
162 no match in the system
163 ** *Merge on Exact Match* will automatically import records that match on the
165 ** *Merge on Single Match* will automatically import records when there is
166 only one match in the system
167 ** *Merge on Best Match* will automatically import records for the best match
168 in the system; the best match will be determined by the combined total of the
169 records match point scores
171 You do not need to select any of these import options at this step. You may also opt to review the records first in the import queue and then import them.
173 * *Best Single Match Minimum Quality Ratio* should only be changed if quality metrics were used in the match set
175 ** Set to 0.0 to import a record regardless of record quality
176 ** Set to 1.0 if the incoming record must be of equal or higher quality than
177 the existing record to be imported
178 ** Set to 1.1 if the incoming record must be of higher quality than the
179 existing record to be imported
180 ** *Insufficient Quality Fall-Through Profile* can also be used with quality
181 metrics. If an incoming record does not meet the standards of the minimum
182 quality ratio, you can identify a back-up merge profile to be used for
183 those records. For example, you may want to use the default overlay
184 profile for high-quality records but use the default merge profile for
185 lower quality records.