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    Batch deleting processing fees from patron accounts

    • Article Type: Q&A
    • Product: Aleph
    • Product Version: 20

    Question

    The sublibrary SSSSS is going to stop charging processing fees for lost materials and wants to waive all such existing fines.
    SQL (see Additional Info below) finds 20,101 lost-book processing-fee (z31_type 040) records for sublibrary SSSSS in the Z31 (cash table) that are marked as Open. The plan is to change the z31_status of these z31's to "W" (Waived), and add a note to the z30_description field indicating what has been done.

    There's a concern that these z31 records may be connected to other records which may also need to be updated. Are they?

    Answer

    There's no place in Aleph that a patron's outstanding fines are totaled. {This is inconvenient when trying to get the fine sum with SQL. Article 000012398 ("SQL to find sum of what patrons owe") discusses this.} But it makes things easier for you: when the z31_status is changed from "O" to "W" (or “C”) there's no need to worry about the effect on other records.

    Additional Information

    SQL query:

    select Count(*)
    from xxx50.z31
    where z31_type ='0040' (0040 - Lost material - Handling)
    and z31_status ='O'
    and z31_sub_library ='SSSSS';

    Category: Circulation (500)


    • Article last edited: 2/14/2015