Adjusting indexing so punctuation doesn't affect sorting (in Browse index)

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Product: Aleph
Product Version: 20, 21, 22, 23
Relevant for Installation Type: Dedicated-Direct, Direct, Local, Total Care

Question
Our music staff brought to my attention an issue with how music call numbers are sorted when doing a browse (ACC) search. It appears the various punctuation affects the sorting. Is there a way to adjust the indexing so that the punctuation does not affect the sorting?

Answer
Call numbers and other Browse (z01) headings are generated from the bib/hol fields using tab_filing.
tab00.eng determines which filing routine is used for each index.
Column 2 of tab_filing says which z01 column the line is for:
! COL 2. 1; ALPHA {D,N,F}; ;
! Usage;
! Relevant only for headings (Z01). Not relevant for
! Index lists (Z11) or Sort Keys (Z101).
! D - use when generating Z01-DISPLAY-TEXT
! N - use when generating Z01-NORMALIZED-TEXT
! F or SPACE - use when generating Z01-FILING-TEXT;

We believe that you want the display text to include the period or semicolon, but to have the filing text to not include it.
In order to do this you need to have a tab_filing line for the filing routine specified in tab00.eng as being used for these ("LCC") headings, which changes both "." and ";" to blank for filing. That would be, for instance, at a minimum, a line like this:
22 F to_blank .;
(This could also be an "N" line, but it should *not* be a "D" line. That would cause the heading to display without the period or semicolon.)
In order to make this change take effect ...
1) ue_01 would need to be stopped/restarted and the records with the affected headings re-sent to the server; or
2) complete re-indexing of the buf01 headings would need to occur.
For #1 the manage-40 service could be used to generate z07 indexing requests for an input file of record numbers.

Article last edited: 12-Mar-2016