This Powerpoint presentation was created largely to provide screenshots and other bits of information for inclusion on a poster board for the Great Ideas Showcase. Presenter: Peter Koonz, The College of Saint Rose

1. Custom Interface
To
Ebsco A to Z
Admin
Peter Koonz
The College of Saint Rose
Albany, NY

2. Note
This Powerpoint presentation was created largely to provide
screenshots and other bits of information for inclusion on a poster
board for the Great Ideas Showcase. As such, it does not hold together
well as a explanation of the program I created.
Nonetheless, you may glimpse the basic idea behind this custom
interface, and I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
Peter Koonz
The College of Saint Rose
koonzp@strose.edu

3. Ebsco provides two ways to change custom
holdings information:
1. Download holdings in .csv format – make
necessary changes – upload data back in
column-delimited text format
2. Use Ebsco’s Custom Editor tool to make
changes to individual records.

4. The Working Download File…
…WE WANTED FRIENDLIER!!!

5. Limitations & Hazards
The Custom Editor does not provide access to all fields
We found the process of downloading the data, reviewing
& changing in Excel, and saving properly introduced many
opportunities for problems.
To prove this point, we managed to wipe out a week’s
worth of changes by uploading a dated set of data.

6. My solution was to use Microsoft Access to create a
simple program to help with some basic A to Z
maintenance tasks:
1. Present all relevant fields from a record in a form
2. Allow edits to any field
3. Provide an easy way to build an upload file
4. Incorporate one-click functionality to create the tab-
delimited text file that Ebsco requires for uploading
changes to custom holdings.
All-in-all it has been useful and has simplified the work
flow for making changes to our custom holdings.

7. Access Database Title Form
Includes records for approx. 77,000 custom & managed holdings
Data from Ebsco A to Z download data

8. Access Database Holdings Form
This is a form with data for the LinkID-level data

9. Making Changes
Change holdings dates on this form
…And then add to the
UPLOAD FILE

10. Make as many changes to as
many titles as you need to…
When you CREATE FINAL
UPLOAD FILE, a column-
delimited txt file will be created
in the specifications needed by
Ebsco A to Z Admin
And look
something like
this in Notepad

11. From the A to Z
Title
Wizard, choose
UPLOAD
COLLECTION
Select the
file you just
created…
And
UPLOAD
Ebsco A to Z Admin: Upload Your File

12. Your changes will be reflected on the public
search interface almost immediately…

13. Why & What?

14. Modify any field in our Custom Holdings:
 Multiple Fields
 Multiple Records

15. Create a Formatted, Custom Upload File:
 Formatted as tab-delimited, text file
 Ebsco field headings in the first row
 Just like Ebsco A to Z likes!

16. Log change:
 Formatted as tab-delimited, text file
 Ebsco field headings in the first row
 Just like Ebsco A to Z likes!