Re: exporting data for Computing to update our patron file

[Leigh French <leigh dot french at wright dot edu>]

Hi Aline,

We currently get a nightly feed from our university's central database 
and load the records each day (we'll be moving to weekly loads soon).  
Instead of getting just updates, we get an entire file of all faculty, 
staff and students.  Our III loader overlays on the ID field so existing 
records are overlayed and new ones are inserted. 

The creation of the file is automated so once Computing Services created 
the mapping program (to turn their database output file into something 
III can load), the system pretty much takes care of itself.

I can see where you'd prefer to have updates rather than a whole file 
but it takes less than 10 minutes to load our patron file (approx 23,000 
records).  I don't know if this method would work for you but perhaps it 
might be easier on your Computing staff to take away the matching step.

Good luck,
Leigh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leigh French
Systems Librarian
Wright State University
Dayton, Ohio 45435
(937) 775-2570

Aline Soules wrote:

> We export our data in an ASCII format for our Computing Services staff 
> to match against a central database and return a file to us that 
> enables us to load updates and new records into our patron data base.
>
> Our Computing staff has now asked us to explore another option for 
> exporting the file because the ASCII file does not provide end of 
> field or end of record markers, nor does it indicate when a field 
> might be missing, thereby making it difficult for the program to 
> recognize which variable field is coming next (the fixed fields are 
> fine).
>
> I wondered if any of you have similar issues with your patron file and 
> what you do about this.  How do you export your records for the 
> purpose of matching against your central database?  Do you use one of 
> the export possibilities provided by Innovative?  If so, which one?  
> If not, what do you do instead?
>
> Thanks.  Aline