Import Selection Pane
The larger, right-side of the Import interface is dedicated to the selected import type and contains all of the import's configurable settings and options.
Directly below the control strip is the Import Selection pane; this pane changes dynamically depending on whether you have the Quick or Saved tab selected. Remember, the information that appears in this pane relates directly to the import type selected from the Categories pane; if you have the Saved import tab selected, you'll see an Imports list with an associated Filter bar.
Import Selection Pane: Quick
When the Quick tab is selected, the Import Selection pane allows you to choose files for import. These defaults do not store custom selection settings; they are used for performing instant imports or as a foundation for custom Saved imports.
Selecting an import type from the Categories pane means the Selected Import pane will only import records of that type. For example, if you select Patrons from the Categories pane, you will only be able to import patron records.
Selecting an import type automatically populates the bottom portion of the window (i.e. the Selected Import pane) which contains import information in the Settings and Options tabs. These tabs contain settings specific to Patrons, Items, and Circulation Groups and are essential to how and what information is imported. By default, the Settings tab has focus when a Quick import is selected.
The Quick imports provide the following tab selections:
Patrons Settings | Items Settings | Items Options | Circulation Groups Settings
Imports performed from the Quick tab are considered “one-off”; any modifications made to the Settings and Options tabs are discarded immediately after switching to another import category. For example, if you have the Patrons import type selected and then click on the Items category, all information that you may have modified or provided to the Patrons import will be lost; even if you were to immediately return, you would find all your settings wiped.
Quick Import Settings
These are Quick import-specific actions and other tools.
Browse—Opens the standard operating system / browser explorer window used to locate files. When you select a file from this window and click Run, Alexandria will either perform the import or place it in the import queue. This can be used to open .txt documents, MARC documents, MicroLIF documents and other files for import.
Field Mapping—Clicking this button will open the Patrons/Items/Circulation Groups Field Mapping window (show below). Alexandria automatically recognizes file headers created by other COMPanion software to correctly import files without you knowing anything about the contents of the data. All tab-delimited format import files that do not have a header will require field mapping.
Patrons and items will be imported in sequential order; use the white up and down arrows to correctly align the fields of the import file. Click on a field to exclude it from the import; clicking on fields will toggle them between a green “” and a red “”. See Patron Import Fields by Field Number and Item Import Fields by Field Number for more information on the fields that can be imported.
Import Selection Pane: Saved
A significant amount of time can be spent manually adding new patrons throughout the school year. Computer technicians and librarians often require time-saving procedures when it comes to importing patron (or item) information. Using the Saved pane, operators can automatically update your patron/item information using files from the SIS (School Information System) system. Although our software is SIF (School Interoperability Framework) Certified, schools that don’t yet have SIF capabilities—or have no plans to implement SIF software or hardware—can use this as an alternative solution to facilitate the flow of patron and item information.
The Saved pane facilitates automatic data import functionality and allows operators to simply schedule recurrent imports; only requiring a small amount of initial setup time—changing the frequency of imports is quick and easy. Imagine new patrons added and existing patron records updated monthly, weekly, or even daily if required. No further need to request downloadable import files from the office or technical support staff. No more reports to prepare for the office staff; manual entry of fines and overdue statistics become a thing of the past.
The Saved tab stores the selection criteria that you (or others) used to create the custom import. The results in the Saved Imports list reflect the import type selected from the Categories pane and can be further refined by the Filter bar. For example, if you select Patrons from the import Categories pane, the Import Selection pane will only display Saved patron imports.
Selecting a Saved import from the Import Selection pane automatically populates the Selected Import pane, which contains import settings that are essential to what and how information is imported. By default, the Settings tab has focus when a Saved import is selected.
The Saved imports provide the following tab selections:
Overview | Patrons Settings | Items Settings | Items Options | Circulation Groups Settings | Notification | Schedule | FTP
Once a Saved import has been selected, it can then be performed, modified, duplicated, or removed.
Saved Imports Filter Bar
The Filter bar, in conjunction with the Categories pane, can be used to filter the results of the Saved Import Selection pane. The Filter bar depends that you have the Saved tab selected; the results of the Imports list also depend on what import category you have selected.
Create Saved Import
Click the Create Saved Import button to create a new Saved import dependent upon the import type selected from the Categories pane. For example, clicking the Create Saved Import button with the Items category selected will create a new items import.