Troubleshooting Tips for COUNTER 5 SUSHI Harvesting

Test Connection

• Click "Test Connection" at the top of the SUSHI account to send a status request to the vendor API
• This test will return a JSON file that can be opened in a text editor or viewed using an online tool like https://jsonformatter.org/
• A successful response will contain the line "Service_Active": true

Test Connection with Response

It is possible to test the connection for each R5 report type added to a SUSHI account:

• After adding a report type to the "Usage Report Types" field, click "Row Actions" > "Test Connection with Response"
• Clicking "Test Connection with Response" sends a request for a report including one month of COUNTER data for that report type
• This test will return a JSON file that can be opened in a text editor or viewed using an online tool like https://jsonformatter.org/
• A successful response will contain a full COUNTER report for a one month period, and will include "Count" values if usage exists for that month

Manually Test SUSHI Request

Each SUSHI request for COUNTER R5 data is made using a URL that includes information about the account and desired usage. This URL can be entered into any web browser to test the SUSHI account configuration.

URL Template:

https://vendor-base-url.com/reports/tr_j1?begin_date=2020-01-01&end_date=2020-01-31&requestor_id=ABCDE&customer_id=FGHIJ&api_key=123456789&platform=XYZ

• Base URL: This is the Vendor URL for Release 5 SUSHI harvesting as shown in the SUSHI-Certified Vendors List
• Report Type: Each request will specify the desired COUNTER 5 report type after the base Vendor URL
• Date Range: Specify the desired reporting time period using dates formatted as YYYY-MM-DD. Note: if the URL returns an "invalid date format" error, try entering the dates in YYYY-MM format
• Account Identifiers: Include requestor_id, customer_id, and/or api_key parameters in the URL as specified by the vendor
• Platform: If applicable, include a platform parameter as indicated by the vendor

Entering a URL into a web browser will send the request to the vendor. A successful response will show a full COUNTER report in the web browser.

If the request is unsuccessful, the web browser will show an error message that may reveal more information, such as if the SUSHI account credentials are incorrect.

Manually Test JSON File Upload

Once data is retrieved successfully using the URL described above, it can be manually uploaded into Alma:

• Right click on the content in the web browser, then click "Save As"
• Save the COUNTER data as a JSON file
• In Alma, navigate to the "Usage Data" tab on the desired Vendor account
• Click "Upload File" and choose the JSON file

If an error is given upon uploading the file, please open a case in the Support Portal and attach the file to the case.

Opening a Case

When opening a case in the Support Portal, including the following information can be very helpful for troubleshooting:

• SUSHI account details, including the vendor URL and account identifiers
• Which of the above tests were tried, and the results of those tests
• JSON files that failed to upload manually, if applicable
• Any other information provided by the vendor in regards to Release 5 SUSHI harvesting

Additional Resources

• Find more information in the Online Help about Managing COUNTER-Compliant Usage Data
• Example COUNTER 5 SUSHI URLs for the ProQuest academic platform
• The Friendly Guide to Release 5 for Librarians, created by Project COUNTER
• The COUNTER Code of Practice for Release 5
• COUNTER 5 SUSHI API documentation
• COUNTER 5 Report Validation Tool

• Article last edited: 26-Feb-2020