Import Profile Considerations
Things to consider:
Are you creating inventory at the time of import or overlaying order records?
Are you overlaying the bibliographic record in the IZ or NZ?
What are match points OCLC#, POL, or other match points?
Physical or electronic records?
What is the material type?
Ex Libris Documentation:
Creating Import Profiles
From the Resources menu -> select Manage Import Profiles -> Add New Profile
Type of Import Profile
New Order – used for acquisition purposes, loading bibliographic records with EOD, creates PO lines and inventory.
Update inventory – used for overlaying order records, match based on PO Lines. Requires that adding MARC field 982 to the PO line references under the Additional PO Line Reference accordion at the point of order. Overlay and match happen in the Institution Zone, share records with the Network Zone.
Repository – used to import bibliographic records, physical or electronic — matchpoints based on MARC fields in the bibliographic record. Alma determines matchpoints under the match profile tab.
Digital – used to load digital objects in MARC 21 format to remote digital repository instances.
Collection – used to load collection-level information, does not load titles/bibliographic information.
Discovery – used to load external records to Primo VE.
Profile Details
Use Network Zone – if overlaying a record present in Alma, consider if the bibliographic record resides in the Institution Zone or the Network Zone. Acquisitions records are in the Institution Zone. Full bibliographic records overlaying the acquisition record need to be matched to the Institution Zone first, then shared with the Network Zone.
Uncheck the "Use Network Zone" box if you are matching bibliographic records in the Institution Zone. When the box is selected, the match happens against the Network Zone.
Enter a profile name and select the originating system. If loading MARC bibliographic records, the import protocol is Upload File/s.
The physical source format is binary for MARC records, delimitated text file for .csv file, Excel, or XML. If downloading MARC choose UTF-8 (except CatExpress users, use ISO format) for the encoding format. Make sure that the Connexion Client is also set to export in UTF-8.
Open Connexion Client -> Tools -> Options -> Export tab -> Record Characteristics -> Character set needs to be set to UTF8-Unicode -> OK -> Apply.
Normalization and Validation
Normalization – Correct data using, choose OCLC Normalization. OCLC Normalization rule will fix 245 based on the second indicator, prevents the import of obsolete MARC fields, and add a subfield 9 to Alma-defined local MARC fields. Note that Alma only adds local MARC fields if the profile matches the Institution Zone, i.e., load records with local fields to the Institution Zone first, then share the bibliographic records with Network Zone.
New: select yes to Import local extensions when using a Network Zone import profile. Alma adds subfield 9, local extension, to Alma-defined local MARC fields.
Match Profile
Determine what match points are present in the record in Alma and the incoming record.
Some commonly used match profiles:
Unique OCLC Identifier Match Method – matches the OCLC number in 035 with appropriate OCLC prefixes (ocm, ocn, on, or (OCoLC)).
035 (Other System Identifier) Match – considers match points in the 035 other than OCLC numbers.
ISBN/ISSN match method – uses the 020 or 022 for matches.
Match Actions – Choose to merge or overlay the incoming record with the Alma record upon a match. It is also possible not to import if the match point exists in Alma or use the NZ record.
Merge/Overlay Methods
Overlay all fields but local – replaces 035 in the Alma record, unless the first indicator is 9 and the second indicator is blank, overlays all fields except 001 and 9XX MARC fields.
Conditional Subject headings – replaces all MARC fields in Alma from the external record, except for the 001, 035, 65x, 7xx, and 9xx. Alma adds MARC fields 6xx and 7xx from the external record to the Alma record.
Keep only old value – Keeps all MARC fields in the Alma record.
Replaces 245 and 035 if exist – replaces all fields in Alma except for the 001, 245, and 035 (where the subfield "a" contains (OCoLC) or where the first indicator is 9), 245 and 035 fields are added from the external record to the Alma record.
Allow bibliographic record deletion – used when imported bibliographic records have LDR 05=d. Import profile deletes the bibliographic record from Alma.
Automatic multi-match handling – select value "Disregard matches for bibliographic CZ linked records" if you do not want to match incoming records with bibliographic records in the Community Zone. Select "Prefer record with the same inventory type" to catch incorrectly coded records. Also, select "skip and do not import unresolved records."
Upon no match – if overlaying a record, choose "do not import" since a matching record should be in Alma. If adding a brand new full bibliographic record is to the Network Zone, choose "Add to NZ."
If "do not use NZ" was selected on the first screen, there will be an option to handle multi-matches. Multi-matches mean two records with the same match point already exist in Alma. The incoming bibliographic record does not know which record to match in Alma. Generally, choose manual handling and delete the secondary record. These multi-matches are accessible from the resources menu -> import -> Resolve Import Issues.
Management Tags
Management Tags it is possible to suppress records from publishing and set tags for publishing bibliographic records or LHRs to OCLC.
Inventory Information
Consider what type of record is being loaded to Alma, electronic records, physical records, mixed or records with no inventory.
Electronic – generally will be loaded to the Institution Zone. When setting up the import profile, choose "Use Network Zone, no.
Electronic mapping – choose delete/deactivate portfolios if importing bib records with LDR 05=d; make sure the import profile allows for deleting records under the match profile tab.
Portfolio type – use Standalone if loading individual electronic titles. If loading a set of records from one collection, choose Part of an Electronic Collection.
Create electronic collections from the Resource menu -> Create Inventory -> Add Local Electronic Collection.
Consider if importing one portfolio or multiple portfolios.
Determine the material type, enter the electronic collection name.
Extract resource access URL field. Generally, the URL will be the 856 subfield u. If you are receiving a vendor's file, check the file to ensure the URL is indeed in the 856 MARC tag. Enter field and subfield values to enter or extract any notes.
It is essential to select the "Activate Resource" button when loading new records at the bottom of the page.
Physical mapping – use physical mapping to create holding and item records. The material type is hardcoded per import profile.
Basic- Enter the MARC field and subfield to map item information, generally 949 (based on mapping in the import profile).
Choose Map library/location to create holding record, and choose update holdings to call number to pull in the call number from bib record to the holding record. Advance – gives options to map temporary location, serial information, and item notes.
Mixed – is based on entering resource type in a pre-defined MARC field.
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