Does a large number of items per BIB record impact the system?

Question

Does a large number of items per BIB record impact the system?

Answer

The "theoretical" limit of items is based on the item sequence in the z30 table: Since the system does "000010", "000020", etc., 99,999 items could be linked to each ADM record.

However, there may problems arise in retrieving long lists of items and sorting them. This can be an issue in both the Web and the GUI....

* The Web:
Prior to version 16.02 the system always built a display of all items on the Holdings screen. This was problematic. Some titles would take several minutes; others would time out and could not be displayed at all.

With version 16 the "setenv www_no_items_display" in www_server.conf was introduced. This limits how many items the system will try to display before stopping and issuing a message (such as, "Display of items is limited to xxxx.... Try setting a filter (year, library, volume." )

Some sites have found that increasing the timeout let certain problematic titles display.


* The GUI:
The display of the Items List in the GUI does not seem to have been as much of a problem as the Web. The system builds the display for only about 100 items at a time. As you click the down arrow, it builds more. You can change the sort so the items you want are nearer to the top.


The overview tree will load only 800 lines. If you have more items than this, catalogers will not be able to move the higher-numbered records to a different bib.

Category: ALEPH

Subject: ALEPH

• Article last edited: 12/5/2013