Skip to main content
  • Subscribe by RSS
  • Ex Libris Knowledge Center

    AbsysNET to Alma Data Delivery Specification

    Migration Overview

    The procedure for migrating from the AbsysNET ILS to Ex Libris’ Alma consists of the following steps:
    • Indicate which local fields correspond to Ex Libris' expected fields using the AbsysNET Field Mapping Form prior to data delivery (customer responsibility).
      Validate the flat files using Ex Libris’ Validation Tool Excel. It is recommended that this step be done against a small sub-set of data to ensure that the header of each of your flat files and the filled in field mapping form match each other. Note that the validation only works for CSV files. It is not possible to validate the AbsysNET flat files. If you do not modify the AbsysNET flat files after exporting them from AbsysNET, there is no need to validate them before sending them to Ex Libris.
    • Extract the relevant data elements from AbsysNET into standard files (customer responsibility). Refer to the following data extract instructions from other AbsysNET customers who migrated to Alma on how to extract data using native AbsysNET functions that yield formats Ex Libris will accept for migration: https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/blog/AbsysNET-to-Alma-Migration-Extract-tools
    • Upload the files to Ex Libris’ secure file server along with the AbsysNET Delivered Files form and the executed/validated Non-ExLibris to Alma Validation Tool (customer responsibility).
    • Transform the data elements, based on the Field Mapping form, into an intermediate conversion XML format (Ex Libris responsibility).
    • Load the transformed data into Alma (Ex Libris responsibility).
    Deliver the AbsysNET Field Mapping form and validated data validation output to Ex Libris along with the AbsysNET Migration Form prior to the actual delivery of the data. The lead-time depends on your project schedule. Provide the AbsysNET Delivered Files List, which lists the file names and the record counts for each file at the same time that you provide your data extract files.
    For all files, the maximum file size is 2 GB.
    Provide the AbsysNET data elements in flat files, and place them on an Ex Libris secure file server. Prepare the data files with the naming conventions as described in Appendix – File Delivery and Form.
    DO NOT OPEN/UPDATE any delimited file extracts you provide to Ex Libris in Excel. This may ruin the appropriate delimiter formatting and text formatting and may result in corrupted data.

    AbsysNET Field Mapping Form

    Prior to submitting your extracted files, complete the AbsysNET Field Mapping form. The AbsysNET Field Mapping form and the AbsysNET Migration Form should be submitted at the same time. In the AbsysNET Field Mapping Form, indicate which data elements (files) you plan to provide in the Overview tab of the spreadsheet. On the subsequent tabs, indicate how your local AbsysNET field names map to our expected field names.
    Even when the names of the fields being provided are the same as the ones listed in the ExL Expected Field Name column, the Local Field Name column for the fields being provided must still be filled in.
    In addition, there are various note fields for each data element on the various tabs. For fields that are not expected by Ex Libris – meaning, there is no functional place for the data element in the corresponding Alma data structure – place the field in a note in the record. Specify which note type you want the field to go to at the bottom of each tab in the AbsysNET Field Mapping form.

    AbsysNET Delivered Files Form

    At the time you submit the requested data files, submit the completed AbsysNET Delivered Files Form. List the files, record counts, and encoding for each file delivered to the secure file server.

    AbsysNET Migration Form

    The AbsysNET Migration Form is a separate Excel spreadsheet that contains information on how to migrate information that is specific to your local implementation of AbsysNET. For example, your local location codes and item types will be converted to codes and types that can be used by Alma. Information on how to fill out the AbsysNET Migration Form can be found in the accompanying AbsysNET to Alma Migration Guide.

    Expected File Formats

    Expected file formats for AbsysNET data varies by file. See the descriptions below. Ex Libris expects a certain set of files to be exported from AbsysNET. We have included the general expected deliveries below. The data elements listed for each are those that Ex Libris expects to use in conversion. Some data elements may exist in AbsysNET but are not necessary to bring to Alma.
    The scope of your specific conversion is agreed upon in your Alma contract.
    As you extract data from any area requested below, provide it to Ex Libris via a secure connection to the MFT secure file server. This facilitates the transformation analysis and expedites the conversion process. Information on the MFT connection will be provided by Ex Libris. For more information, see Appendix – File Delivery and Form.
    For the files listed below that are not bibliographic records with embedded items, we expect an extract using the tools available with AbsysNET API access. Our understanding is that API access is an extra cost for many customers. If your institution does not have API access, you may need to request extracts directly from AbsysNET support.

    Inventory

    Bibliographic Records

    Bibliographic records are expected in UNIMARC or MARC format. The character encoding expected from AbsysNET is UTF-8. Deliver all files with the same character encoding.
    There should be a unique and consistent former system number in each bibliographic record. This is typically in the 002 field in AbsysNET, but it may also be found in some other field. Whichever field it is in, it should be unique and should be present for every single record. Indicate where the former system number is on the Bibliographic tab of the field mapping form.
    If you have loaded SFX MARCIt (or another electronic resource management system) records into AbsysNET, it is recommended that they not be included in the bibliographic record export to avoid unnecessary duplication with records loaded directly from SFX. If you want Ex Libris to detect and not migrate the SFX records, ensure that a 035 |a field with (SFX) in the field content is provided so that they can be identified, and answer “No” to the question about SFX bibliographic record on the Questionnaire tab of the AbsysNET Migration Form.

    Suppressed Bibliographic Records

    If your system has suppressed bibliographic records which are not shown to the public, provide a file of AbsysNET bib keys in a separate text file, one key per line. The AbsysNET bib key is the number typically found in field 002 of the bib record.

    Holding Records

    Alma requires MARC Holdings records. There are two options for generating holding records in Alma:
    • From Bib – Summary statement embedded in a bib tag.
    • None – no holdings records are delivered. In this case, holdings records are generated from item information.

    Holdings From a Bib Tag

    If there is information in a field embedded in the bibliographic record, the migration programs can generate a holding record from it. Fill in the values of the following fields in the AbsysNET Field Mapping Form, Holdings tab. If the SUMM_LIB_CODE and SUMM_LOC_CODE match an existing holding record on the same bibliographic record, even a holdings record that was generated from items attached to the same holdings record, the summary holdings statement will be attached to that holdings record, regardless of call number. In other words, the summary holdings record will be placed on the holdings record with the same library and location, even if 852_SUBFIELDS_FOR_HOL contains call number subfields for matching like bchi. If there is no existing holdings record on the bib with the same location, a new holding records will be generated.
    Expected Field Name Value Notes
    SUMM_TAG   Five characters; tag+2 indicators.  May use # as wildcard, for example, 866##
    SUMM_SUBFIELDS   Multiple subfields allowed, e.g. abz. May use # to indicate all subfields.
    SUMM_CALLNO   Textual call number to be used in all newly generated holdings records if desired.
    SUMM_LIB_SUBF   A single subfield code (like 'a') which contains a library code in local ILS format. Do NOT enter a different bib tag. The migration program searches for a subfield within the SUMM_TAG bib tag.
    SUMM_LOC_SUBF   A single subfield code (like 'a') which contains a location code in local ILS format. Do NOT enter a different bib tag. The migration program searches for a subfield within the SUMM_TAG bib tag.
    SUMM_LIB_CODE   If SUMM_LIB_SUBF is not provided or the subfield is not found, this is used for all records as a default. Provide a library code in local ILS format.
    SUMM_LOC_CODE   If SUMM_LOC_SUBF is not provided or the subfield is not found, this is used for all records as a default. Provide a location code in local ILS format.
    SUMM_PUBLIC_NOTE_SUBF   Public note, will be placed in 852 $z of the generated holding record
    SUMM_NON_PUBLIC_NOTE_SUBF   Non-public note, will be placed in 852 $x of the generated holding record

    Items

    Item information is expected to be provided in a separate csv file. The file should be one record per line, with the field names in the first line of the file, with quotes and commas separating the fields.
    “Field1”,”Field2”,”Field2”, etc.
    Indicate which tag contains the item on the Items tab of the AbsysNET Field Mapping Form.
    The following table lists the expected fields for item migration. If your item fields have different contents, indicate the subfield mapping in the Items tab of the AbsysNET Field Mapping Form.
    The maps that are indicated in the Notes column below are found in the AbsysNET Migration Form. See the accompanying AbsysNET Migration Guide for instructions on how to complete this form.
    Expected Field Name Description Note
    COBARC Code-barres  
    COFSAD createDate  
    COUSAD createdBy  
    COFSMD updateDate  
    COUSMD updateBy  
    CONTIT No de titre links to bib record field 002
    COCOCL Localisation use in Alma Location map in migration form
    COFREC Date de réception  
    COCOCP Type exemplaire use in Item Type map in migration form
    COCOSU Succursale use in Alma Location map in migration form
    COSIGN Cote data will be placed in 852 $h
    COSIGS-Call_Number_2 Cote supplémentaire place field COSIGS here to have the data be placed in 852 $i (second part of regular call number)
    COSIGS-Item_Call_Number Cote supplémentaire

    place field COSIGS here to have the data be placed in Item Call Number.

    If customer uses this option, they MUST use 'bch' in the 852_subfield_for_hol question; if they use 'bc', then differing call number information may be lost - we can't put both into the same field Item_call_number.

    COSTAT Situation exemplaire use in item status map in migration form
    CONREG No de registre is placed in INVENTORY_NO in Alma
    COFINV Date de Récolement is placed in INVENTORY_DATE in Alma
    COCOPR Provenance  
    CONPRE Nbr de prêts To see this value in Alma, search for the item under 'Physical Items' and on the results list click 'Other details'.
    COFULT Date de retour  
    COCOCS Support use in Material Type map in migration form
    COIDVO Identifiant de volume is placed in item DESCRIPTION field
    Price COVALU Inventory Price
    REPLACEMENT_COST COVALU Use only if this is an actual replacement cost. If not, put only in the Inventory price field above.
    P2E_LINK P2E_LINK URL access to this material.  This value is transferred to the holding record 856 subfield u, and then is used during the p2e process. 
    P2E_NOTE P2E_NOTE This value is transferred to the holding record 856 subfield z, and then is used during the p2e process.  
    TEMP_LIBRARY Temporary Library  
    TEMP_LOCATION Temporary Location  
    TEMP_ITEM_TYPE Temporary item type  
    TEMP_CALL_NUMBER temporary call number  
    TEMP_CALL_NO_TYPE temporary call number type  
    PAGES pages  
     
    To update Enumeration and Chronology fields, use the Secondary Item File, below.

    Item Notes

    Any additional subfields not listed above may be put into notes. The possible note fields in Alma items are listed in the following chart in the Note Name column. The subfields listed in the Default Local Subfield column are those that are expected by Ex Libris. If you use other field names or have subfields that you want to include in the migration, but are not expected by Ex Libris, you can rearrange, add, or subtract fields in the “Default Local Subfield” column as necessary. The text in the Note Label column are used as a prefix to the subfield contents and can be modified, as desired. If you want to include multiple local fields in the same Alma note, copy the line in the spreadsheet as many times as needed for all note name/local field combinations.
    Note Name Default Local Subfield Note Label
    PUBLIC_NOTE    
    FULFILLMENT_NOTE    
    NON_PUBLIC_NOTE_1    
    NON_PUBLIC_NOTE_1    
    NON_PUBLIC_NOTE_2    
    NON_PUBLIC_NOTE_2    
    NON_PUBLIC_NOTE_3    
    NON_PUBLIC_NOTE_3    
    STAT_NOTE_1    
    STAT_NOTE_2    
    STAT_NOTE_3    

    Secondary Item File

    You may want to provide item descriptive information in a secondary file. For example, you have a description in the format Vol. 12 No. 2 (2015 January), but Alma recommends that enumeration and chronology information are without labels and are in separate fields. You can provide your description in a secondary item file.
    Provide the secondary item file in csv format, with the following fields:
    Expected Field Name Notes
    itemKey

    Provide either itemKey or itemBarcode, but not both. If both are provided, itemKey is preferred

    Always provide both fields, even when one is empty.  E.g. 

    itemKey,ItemBarcode,etc

    12345,,etc

    ,bar123455,etc

    itemBarcode
    itemDescription Provide in a format such as: Vol. 12, No. 6 (February 2015)
    EnumA For example, “12”.
    EnumB For example, "6".
    EnumC  
    EnumD  
    EnumE  
    EnumF  
    EnumG  
    EnumH  
    ChronI For example, "2015"
    ChronJ For example, "2".
    ChronK  
    ChronL  
    ChronM  

    Electronic Identification (P2E)

    Most non-Alma ILS systems store records for both physical and electronic items in the same format, which is a physical format. Alma has different record formats for electronic and physical items. Records that initially migrated as physical but actually represent electronic materials can be converted to electronic format after migration to Alma.
    Provide a list of AbsysNET bibliographic system numbers that represent electronic resources and an indication if these electronic resources are portfolios, packages, or database resources. The list should be a comma separated text file containing lines that represent each e-resource. Structure each line as follows: <bibnumber>,<resource type>
    For example:
    000000001,Portfolio
    000000002,DB
    During the P2E process, all resources must either be categorized as a portfolio or a database (DB).  It is not possible to generate packages during P2E processing, since packages require at least one portfolio.   A database is essentially a zero-title package.  Post migration, when you add portfolios to the db, you can change them to type 'package'.
    The words portfolio and db are not case-sensitive; therefore, both portfolio and Portfolio are acceptable.
    In addition, indicate which locations represent electronic in the Location tab of the AbsysNET Migration Form. The migration will only convert items, holdings and orders that belong to an electronic location to an electronic format. This is especially important if your library has holdings of different formats attached to the same bibliographic record, for example you have a print version and an electronic version of the same title.

    Fulfillment (Patrons and Circulation)

    Patrons

    Extract all patrons in csv format. In order to migrate any area of fulfillment (fines/ fees, loans, requests), all patrons must be migrated.
    The fields in the following table are expected. Indicate the local field names for the expected fields in the Patrons tab of the AbsysNET Field Mapping Form.
    Field Name Description Notes
    LENLEC No lecteur use to link patron to loans, fines, requests
    LEFSAD createDate  
    LEUSAD createdBy  
    LEFSMD updateDate  
    LEUSMD updatedBy  
    LECOBI Bibliothèque  campus code
    LEAPEL Nom  
    LETI Titre  
    LEIN Middle Name  
    LENOMB Lecteur  
    LECOLP Type  
    LEFCAD Date de fin de droit  
    LEFNAC Date de naissance  
    LEFSUS Date de suspension if present, a block will be created with type 'CONV'
    GENDER   must contain 'Male' or 'Female' or leave blank
    LANG language must contain two-letter ISO code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ISO_639-1_codes
    BLOCK_TYPE block

    Use these fields only if providing a single block per patron.

    If multiple blocks are provided for a single patron, provide the blocks in a separate file.  See User Block section below.

    BLOCK_NOTE block
    BLOCK_CREATE block
    BLOCK_EXPIRY block

    User Addresses

    There can be multiple addresses, emails, and phone numbers in the patron record. The fields that are available for migration into Alma are listed in the left column. The field names from the AbsysNET extract are in the two right hand columns. Put the field names for preferred address in the Preferred column, and the field names for the secondary address in the Secondary address section. Finally, decide which type of address this should be defined as, using the last field in the column, “Address type (select)”.
    Alma Address Field AbsysNET Field Name 
    ADDRESS_LINE_1 LEDI11
    ADDRESS_LINE_2 LEDI12
    ADDRESS_LINE_3 LEDI13
    ADDRESS_LINE_4  
    ADDRESS_LINE_5  
    ADDRESS_CITY  
    ADDRESS_STATE  
    ADDRESS_CODE LEDIZ1
    ADDRESS_COUNTRY If country is provided, it must be a three-letter ISO country code, which can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-3
    ADDRESS_NOTE  
    ADDRESS_START  
    ADDRESS_END  
    Address Type (Select): ALL
    SEC_ADDRESS_LINE_1 LEDI21
    SEC_ADDRESS_LINE_2 LEDI22
    SEC_ADDRESS_LINE_3 LEDI23
    SEC_ADDRESS_LINE_4  
    SEC_ADDRESS_LINE_5  
    SEC_ADDRESS_CITY  
    SEC_ADDRESS_STATE  
    SEC_ADDRESS_CODE LEDIZ2
    SEC_ADDRESS_COUNTRY If country is provided, it must be a three-letter ISO country code, which can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-3
    SEC_ADDRESS_NOTE  
    SEC_ADDRESS_START  
    SEC_ADDRESS_END  
    Secondary Address Type (Select): ALL
    PHONE The preferred phone should go in PHONE_PREFERRED, other phones in PHONE_x
    EMAIL The preferred email should go in EMAIL_PREFERRED, other emails in EMAIL_x

    User Identifiers

    There may be a number of fields in the patron record that are user identifiers. The types of identifiers that are available for migration into Alma are listed in the left column. The typical expected field names from AbsysNET are in the right column. Change the field names and/or order of the right column to suit your library’s extract. The values in the left column cannot be changed. Use the values in the left column to select the appropriate primary identifier in the Questionnaire tab of the AbsysNET Migration Form. If there is a field in AbsysNET which contains a note specific to the identifier, place that in the far right column.
    Alma Identifier Type AbsysNET Field Name AbsysNET Field Name for Note
    UNIV_ID LEDDNI  
    BAR LENLEC  
    ADDL_ID_1 LEDDNN  
    ADDL_ID_2    
    ADDL_ID_3    
    ADDL_ID_4    

    User Statistical Categories

    There may be a number of fields in the patron record that function as a statistical category only, for example, a student’s department or major. The way the student borrows can be determined by the P TYPE, but you may want to track the department, so that you can get more detailed statistics on how Law students borrow, for example. Since AbsysNET has a large number of fields that are customizable, we provide you the option to map the data from any field to the User Statistical Categories in Alma.
    User Statistical Category Local Field Name Field Label
    USER_STAT_CATEGORY HOME INST INST
    USER_STAT_CATEGORY DEPT DEPT
    USER_STAT_CATEGORY SCHOOL SCHOOL
    You can add up to 10 incoming fields. To map the values, use the UserStatCategories map in the AbsysNET Migration Form. If a value is not found in the map, it is migrated as is. If you use a label, the userStatCategory map tries to map the field including the label. The first column in the userStatCategory map would be: LABEL:value, for example: SCHOOL:Law.

    Notes

    Any additional fields not listed above may be put into notes. The possible note fields in Alma items are listed in the following chart in the Note Name column. The fields listed in the Default Local Field column are those that are expected by Ex Libris. If you use other field names or have fields that you want to include in the migration, but are not expected by Ex Libris, you can rearrange, add, or subtract fields on the right, as necessary. If you want to include multiple local fields in the same Alma note, copy the line in the spreadsheet as many times as needed for all note name/local field combinations.
    Note Name Information
    LIBRARY_NOTE  
    BARCODE_NOTE  
    ADDRESS_NOTE  
    OTHER_NOTE The 'OTHER_NOTE' is marked by the migration programs as viewable by the user.

    User Blocks (if multiple blocks per patron)

    If a single block is provided per patron, the blocks can be provided within the patron record.  Otherwise, if there can be multiple blocks for a single patron, provide the blocks in this separate file.  

    Address Field Instructions
    PATRON_ID There may be multiple lines in the file for a single patron ID - meaning that the patron has multiple blocks.
    BLOCK_TYPE Use the User Block tab in the migration form.  
    BLOCK_NOTE  
    BLOCK_CREATE  If this is not present, migration will use use patron create date, then patron migration date.  
    BLOCK_EXPIRY  

    Active Loans

    Extract only current circulation transactions.
    The fields in the following table are expected. Indicate the local field names for the expected fields in the Loans tab of the AbsysNET Field Mapping Form.
    Field Name Description Notes
    PRBARC Code-barres links to item ID in item file
    PRFSAD create date  
    PRUSAD create_user  
    PRFSMD update date  
    PRUSMD update_user  
    PRPRSU Succursale du prêt  
    PRCOCL Localisation  
    PRNLEC Lecteur links to ORIGINAL_ID in patron file
    PRFPRE Date de prêt  
    PRFDEV Date de retour  
    PRRECL Nbr de réclamations checks if the loan was recalled; to keep actual number of recalls, also put this field in notes
    PRNREN Nbr de renouvellements checks if the loan was renewed; to keep actual number of renewals, also put this field in notes
    PRCORN Origine renouvellement  
    PRRERE Date de réclamation de réservation  
    Any additional fields not listed above may be put into notes. The possible note fields in Alma items are listed in the following chart in the Note Name column. The fields listed in the Default Local Field column are those that are expected by Ex Libris. If you use other field names or have fields that you want to include in the migration but are not expected by Ex Libris, you can rearrange, add, or subtract fields on the right, as necessary.
    Note Name Default Local Fields
    NON_PUBLIC_NOTE  

    Active Requests on the Hold Shelf

    Extract only request transactions where the item is trapped and on the hold shelf waiting for pickup.
    The fields in the following table are expected. Indicate the local field names for the expected fields in the Requests tab of the AbsysNET Field Mapping Form.
    Field Name Notes
    REFSAD  
    REUSAD  
    REFSMD  
    REUSMD  
    RERESU  
    REBARC item barcode
    RENLEC links to User ID in patron file
    RECOSU  
    REFCRE  
    REFCOM  
    REFFIN  
    Any additional fields not listed above may be put into notes. The possible note fields in Alma items are listed in the following chart in the Note Name column. The fields listed in the Default Local Field column are those that are expected by Ex Libris. If you use other field names or have fields that you want to include in the migration but are not expected by Ex Libris, you can rearrange, add, or subtract fields on the right, as necessary.
    Note Name Default Local Fields
    NON_PUBLIC_NOTE  

    Acquisitions

    Acquisitions information is not expected by AbsysNET customers at this time. If you think you should provide Acquisitions files such as orders, funds, and vendors, contact your Ex Libris project representative.

    Appendix – File Delivery and Form

    Each time data files are provided to Ex Libris in the formats indicated in Expected File Formats, place them on your drop-point on the Ex Libris secure file server with the access credentials provided by your Ex Libris project manager.
    The following is the default naming convention:
    CustomerName+DataType+sequence+date+[.].
    For example: centralu_bib_01_20120420.mrc, centralu_bib_02_20120420.mrc, centralu_bib_03_20120420.mrc, etc.
    Ex Libris recommends a maximum of 200,000 records per MARC file and 400,000 for other types of records (items, orders, etc).
    All records in a single file must be homogeneous – all of the lines in the file must have the same number of fields, and those fields must contain the same type of data. Additionally, all of the records must be delimited in the same manner.
    For security purposes, the file names listed on the secure file server are not displayed after you upload them.
    Provide the AbsysNET Delivered Files Form along with the submitted files.
    • Was this article helpful?