Overview

In November 2025, a system update was implemented in the Community Zone (CZ) of Ex Libris Alma.
The “CZ on Save 2020” normalization rule was enhanced to include an XSL transformation that performs chronological sorting of bibliographic fields 500–899.

This XSL rule runs automatically whenever a CZ bibliographic record is saved and ensures that fields in the 500–899 range are ordered consistently and correctly.

How the Process Works

When a CZ record is saved:

1. The main Drools normalization rule runs first.
2. After the Drools rule completes, the XSL rule for chronological sorting is executed.
3. The XSL transformation reorders fields 500–899 chronologically within the record.

This process helps maintain consistent structure and readability across CZ bibliographic records.

Scope of the Change

This functionality applies only to Community Zone (CZ) records.

• The chronological sorting rule does not run on Institution Zone (IZ) records.
• The automatic reordering occurs only when saving records in the CZ environment.

Impact on Institution Zone (IZ) Records

Customers who wish to apply similar changes to their Institution Zone (IZ) bibliographic records must do so independently.

To reorder or normalize fields in IZ records, institutions should:

• Create or modify a local normalization rule, or
• Run a normalization process within their IZ.

The CZ normalization rule does not affect IZ records automatically.

Distribution of Changes

If a change is made to a CZ record, it is distributed to institutions in the same way as other Community Zone updates.

This means that:

• Updates to CZ records continue to propagate to linked records according to standard Alma distribution mechanisms.

Summary

• An XSL rule for chronological sorting of fields 500–899 was added to the CZ on Save 2020 normalization rule in November 2025.
• The rule runs automatically on CZ records when they are saved.
• It runs after the main Drools normalization rule.
• The functionality applies only to CZ records.
• Institutions that want similar behavior in IZ records must implement local normalization rules.
• Changes made in CZ continue to propagate to institutions as standard CZ updates.

• Article last edited: 17-03-2026