Configuring the Database Search Interface

Configuration Options - Expanded DB Search

This functionality is enabled by default, but searching by DB categories requires additional configuration and re-indexing. The following table lists the configuration options associated with this functionality.

Assigning Categories to the Database Records

This feature requires you to apply database categories, which can contain up to three category levels, to the bibliographic records of your local databases.

1. In Alma, choose a local bibliographic field (for example, select any 6XX or 9XX field for MARC21) in which to store the database categories in your local bibliographic records, and then enter that field in the db_categories_field parameter on the Alma Customer Parameters page (Configuration Menu > Resources > General > Other Settings).

   Administrators require one of the following roles to update the above parameter:

   • Catalog Administrator

   • Repository Administrator

   • General System Administrator

2. For each local database, use the Metadata Editor (Resources > Cataloging > Open Metadata Editor) to add the chosen MARC field with the following subfields to assign up to three category levels: $$a (level 1), $$b (level 2), and $$c (level 3). For example:

   699 ##$aEducation $bMedical $cFitness

   699 ##$aEducation $bHealth

   As shown in the example above, a database can belong to more than one category/subcategory.

   If you provide translations for DB categories and plan to use the Expanded DB Search functionality (which is the default), ensure that all categories do not include a dot (.). For example, if you want to display the M.B.A. category, replace all dots with an underscore (_) in the source record. For example:

   699 ##$aM_B_A_

3. Wait for the Creates DB Categories File job (Admin > Monitor Jobs > Scheduled tab) under the Discovery filter to update the record's categories for discovery in Primo. This job is scheduled to run daily. For more details, see Scheduled Jobs in Alma.

4. Edit your normalization rules set in Primo, update the facets/dbcategory rule to map the category information from the source records to Primo, and then deploy your changes to the Front End (Primo Home > Advanced Configuration > Full Normalization Rule Configuration). Note that you must include the subfield delimiter (U+2500).
   
   For example:

   

   Update Facets/dbcategory Normalization Rule from Alma MARC Template

5. If you are using the Expanded DB Search functionality, update the search/dbsearch rule to map the category information from the source records to Primo, and then deploy your changes to the Front End (Primo Home > Advanced Configuration > Full Normalization Rule Configuration). For more details, see Expanded DB Search.

6. In the Institution Wizard (Primo Home > Ongoing Configuration Wizard > Institution Wizard), enter the same value that you used for the API base URL in the new DB Category field under the Delivery Base URLs section.

   

   DB Category Base URL in the Institution Wizard

   Clear this field if you want to disable categories in the view.

7. Run a regular pipe and then re-index to see the database categories on the Database Search page in the new Primo UI.

Customizing the Display Labels on the Database Search Page

The DB Search code table (Primo Home > Advanced Configuration > All Code Tables > Front End subsystem) defines the display labels (including all customer-defined categories) that appear on the Database Search page. Out of the box, the following labels appear on the Database Search page:

Creating Display Labels and Translations for Categories

In addition to the labels that appear on the Database Search page, the DB Search code table allows you to translate the display labels used for your categories. The display label that appears for a category and its translations is based on the value mapped from the MARC subfield. To specify a different display value or provide a translation for a category, you must create a row definition for each language:

• Code – Specify the value of the MARC subfield that is to be mapped from the source record. Ensure each space in the mapped value is converted to an underscore (_). For example, if your category is Medicine and Technology, the value of this field should be set to default.dbcategories.Medicine_and_Technology.

  If you plan to use the Expanded DB Search functionality (which is the default):

  • Ensure that all categories defined in the source do not include a dot, and configure their codes identically in the DB Categories code table so that they are indexed properly. For example, if you want to configure M.B.A., replace all dots with an underscore (_):

    default.dbcategories.M_B_A_

  • For each DB category that contains ampersands (&) and apostrophes ('), create an additional row in the DB category that replaces these characters with their HTML character code. For example, if you are defining the categories Guns & Roses and Women's and Gender Studies, define the following codes for each:

    default.dbcategories.Guns_&_Roses

    default.dbcategories.Guns_&_Roses

     

    default.dbcategories.Women's_and_Gender_Studies

    default.dbcategories.Women&pos;s_and_Gender_Studies

• Description – Specify the value of the category/translation to display in the UI. For example, if you are creating the Spanish translation for Medicine and Technology, specify Medicina y Tecnología.

• Language – Specify the browser language for which the translation displays.