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    Importing Records with CSV or Excel Files

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    Importing Records with CSV or Excel Files

    Bibliographic records may be imported using CSV (comma-separated values) or Excel files. Properly formatted CSV and Excel files may be imported using the Repository, New Order, or Update Inventory import profiles configured with the appropriate import options. See Physical source format for more information.

    When provided, the import can include fixed position field content such as the LDR or MARC 21 008 content. If no fixed position field content is provided, the import process can create fixed position field content from the normalization process that you specify in the import profile. If no normalization prcocesses indicate what to create for the fixed position fields and no fixed field content is provided in the file, the import process can create fixed position fields when the enable_import_computer_generated Resource Management Other Setting is set to true.

    Repeating fields with the same subfields and indicators cannot be imported. When the import process encounters multiple columns with the same tag, indicators, and subfields in the input file, a single field is created with multiple instances of the repeated subfields. For example, when the input file has a single row with three columns that contain 245$a, 245$b, and 245$b, the following record record is created: 245$a main title $b subtitle 1 $b subtitle 2. See Formatting CSV or Excel Files for Importing Records for more information.

    The bibliographic data is filtered, corrected, and validated as defined in the import profile that you configure. Inventory data is created based on the mapping defined in your import profile. See Creating/Editing an Import Profile: Overview for more information.

    There is a limitation size of 20 MB on imported CSV or Excel files.

    Workflow for Importing Records with CSV or Excel Files

    The workflow for importing records with CSV or Excel files requires the following:

    Formatting CSV or Excel Files for Importing Records

    The header row (the first row) of your CSV or Excel file needs to identify the content for each column or comma-separated field of information and the indicators to be created. Each column or field header needs to contain the following information:
    • Field (tag) number
      This can be any MARC 21 or other metadata standard number except Dublin Core.
      This also includes fixed position fields such as the LDR and MARC 21 008. 
    • First and second indicators
      Specify indicators in the following manner:
      245$a where no indicators are specified
      2451 $a where a null value is to be created for the second indicator
      245 1$a where a null value is to be created for the first indicator
      24510$a where both indicators are specified
    • Subfield
    For an Excel file example, select the following link:
    See the illustration below for a CSV file example.
    CSV_File_04.png
    CSV File Example
    The file header row is read from left to right by the Alma loader and the relevant tags are created.
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