The Final Frontier: Creating Effective Interfaces Between Acquisitions and Financial Systems Joan Lamborn University of Northern Colorado June 16, 2002 American Library Association Atlanta, Georgia

Advantages No Rekeying of Data on Parent SystemNo Rekeying of Data on Parent System Elimination of ErrorsElimination of Errors Faster ProcessFaster Process

History Intermediate format for file transferIntermediate format for file transfer FTPFTP

How the Interface Works Parent Accounting System Remote Host Library System

The Route to Follow

Getting Started 1.Secure agreement from parent institution financial officers 2.Plan the interface in consultation with parent system representatives and library system staff

Decisions to Make 1.What functions will be performed in each system 2.What data will be required by the parent system 3.What data will be supplied by the library system

Decisions to Make 4. Vendor maintenance Permanent vendor records in both systemsPermanent vendor records in both systems Temporary vendor records in the parent systemTemporary vendor records in the parent system

Decisions to Make 5. File transfer process To what remote host will the data be exportedTo what remote host will the data be exported When will the exported file be reviewed and editedWhen will the exported file be reviewed and edited How will the loading of the exported file into the parent system be initiatedHow will the loading of the exported file into the parent system be initiated

Close Encounters

Programming Options Programmer internal to institutionProgrammer internal to institution External programmerExternal programmer Programming from another institution that implemented the interface using the same library and parent systemsProgramming from another institution that implemented the interface using the same library and parent systems

Library System Preparation Review vendor and fund records to be sure data required from the library system will be provided

More Decisions Determine who will: Create and export payment files from the library systemCreate and export payment files from the library system Match invoices to exported file dataMatch invoices to exported file data Review and edit the exported fileReview and edit the exported file Initiate loading payment files into the parent systemInitiate loading payment files into the parent system

Two Approaches Pay File Created File Reformatted File Edited Parent System Updated Edit in Library Format

Testing Create a test fileCreate a test file Examine the exported test file before and after the data is reformatted for loading into the parent systemExamine the exported test file before and after the data is reformatted for loading into the parent system

After Implementation Be aware that an upgrade to either the parent or library system could affect the interface

Looking Ahead

This presentation can be found at: The pictures were provided by the Tessa Dalton Photo Collection, James A. Michener Special Collection, University of Northern Colorado.