Purpose: This page describes data value crosswalks and data element mapping for the migration of Loan data from Aleph to Alma. This video from ExLibris provides instructions to complete the migration form that we need to complete prior to the automated migration of Aleph data to Alma. The decisions we'll need to make about data migration are outlined on this page.
Page Contents
Alma Loans Overview
This information is pulled from the Aleph to Alma Migration Guide:
- In Alma, item loans are qualified by a loan status Active or Inactive.
- The loan structure in Aleph is based on Z36 (Active loan records)
- The active loan record is deleted from the Z36 table when an item is returned
- Completed loan transactions are stored in Z36H (Loans history) and are not included in the migration to Alma. The Z36H table is provided in an Excel report at the time of the final load migration to Alma.
- Based on this structure, the migration to Alma creates an Item Loan line with the Active loan status for each active Aleph loan (Z36). Here are the counts of records in the Z36 table as of 8/7/23:
| Z36_Status | Count |
|---|---|
| A | 55811 |
| C | 542 |
| L | 6581 |
- ILL loans are migrated as regular loans to Alma. On Cutover, you should stop Aleph activities except for fulfillment. If there are new ILL items after the cataloging freeze, they are not migrated and on fulfillment cutover the loans are rejected. In this, case when a loan is rejected due to missing items in Alma (Statistic report), check the Aleph loan. If it is an ILL item created after cutover, you have to manually add the item and its loan to Alma.
- The reading room item, loan records (z310), is not in the migration scope. Note 8/7/23: There are 54 records from 2004 in Z310 in Duke's production environment.
- Usually these records have an associated loan in z36 (loans) that is migrated. The item's Internal note 2 field is populated with Reading Room when the ADM record has an R30 field.
Mapping Rules and Assumptions
In Alma, the status of the loaned item is populated based on various conditions set in the Aleph loan status (Z36_STATUS), recall date (Z36_RECALL_DATE), and number of renewals (Z36_NO_RENEWAL).
Crosswalks: Aleph code values to Alma code values
Aleph Sublibrary to Alma Library
| Aleph Sublibrary | Alma Library |
|---|---|
Aleph Collection to Alma Permanent location
Aleph Material Type to Alma Material Type
Aleph Item Status to Alma Item Policy
Loan Data Mapping
This table describes the Alma target field for each Loan field in Aleph. Note: Much of this content was copied from Harvard's data mapping guides, last updated in 2018. Please consider this page a draft until the Duke team verifies that this mapping information is current and concurs with Duke's migration decisions.
Aleph Field | Alma Field | Additional Information |
Item Barcode | Barcode | |
| Item Sublibrary | Library | |
| Collection | Permanent Location | |
| Material Type | Material Type | This mapping is listed on Harvard's mapping guide page; however, the Alma mapping guide indicates that Z36_MATERIAL doesn't migrate...? |
| Item Status | Item Policy | The Alma mapping guide indicates that Z36_ITEM_STATUS doesn't migrate...? |
| Item Process Status | NA | |
| Loan count | Notes from Harvard's migration: "Number of Loans is stored in the Aleph item record. Before migration a job was run to subtract transfer loans (event type 56), and return to depository loans (event type 57) from the loan count. Counted loans at migration to Alma is the sum of: Simple loan (50), Reading room loan (51), Offline circulation (52), and Routing list loan (54). There were no changes to loan records or events themselves. For migrated items with Aleph circ history, the date of any circulation event that last occurred in aleph would show up as the last loan date field in Alma (until the item is actually loaned in Alma). The maximum number of loans for an individual item in Aleph is 999." |
Loan Data that doesn't migrate to Alma
Areas/Fields Not In Scope
- Z36-MATERIAL
- Z36-EFFECTIVE-DUE-DATE
- Z36-RETURNED-DATE
- Z36-RETURNED-HOUR
- Z36-ITEM-STATUS
- Z36-BOR-STATUS
- Z36-RETURN-CATALOGER-NAME
- Z36-RETURN-CATALOGER-IP
- Z36-NO-RENEWAL
- Z36-RENEW-CATALOGER-NAME
- Z36-RENEW-CATALOGER-IP
- Z36-RENEW-MODE
- Z36-BOR-TYPE
- Z36-NOTE-ALPHA
- 36-RECALL-DATE
- Z36-LAST-RENEW-DATE
- Z36-PROCESS-STATUS
- Z36-LOAN-TYPE
- Z36-RECALL-TYPE
Overdue notices:
- Z36-LETTER-NUMBER
- Z36-LETTER-DATE
Circulation desk:
- Z36-LOAN-CATALOGER-IP
Proxy patron ID:
- Z36-PROXY-ID
Booking requests:
- Z36-RETURN-LOCATION
- Z36-RETURN-SUB-LOCATION
- Z36-SOURCE
- Z36-DELIVERY-TIME
- Z36-TAIL-TIME