1. Resource Management / Acquisitions
Import Profiles
Hi Everyone. And welcome to this session of the Alma Training.
In this session, we will discuss import profiles that allow you to create bibliographic, inventory and order records in batch.
Please note that this session serves as Administration Fundamentals session #4 in Resource Management and session #1 in Acquisitions.

2. Introduction FTP server Originating Systems
Vendors, Cooperative cataloging projects, etc.
MARC
<XML>
EOD FILES
FTP server
BIB REC
IMPORT PROFILE
Alma repository
Import Profiles
Alma supports creation of bibliographic, inventory and order records in batch via file import. Files can come from commercial vendors, cooperative cataloging projects or from your own repository, for example via export, edit and re-import.
Alma uses import profiles to interpret the information contained in the load file in order to create the appropriate records in Alma. Different import profiles can be configured depending upon the kind of records you want to create – bibliographic, inventory and purchase order lines.

3. Repository import profile New Order import profile
Agenda
Agenda
Introduction
Repository import profile
New Order import profile
Update Inventory import profile
Session Review
In this session, we will discuss three types of import profiles:
The Repository import profile allows you to create bibliographic records. Optionally, you can also create records for physical and/or electronic inventory.
The New Order import profile, as the name implies, is used to import files containing order information, referred to as embedded order data, or EOD files, to create purchase order lines in Alma – in addition to creating the corresponding bibliographic and inventory records.
Finally, the Update Inventory profile type is used to import Shelf-Ready files and allows you to update bibliographic and inventory records that are associated with an existing purchase order line in Alma.

4. Repository Import Profile - Bibliographic
In order to create bibliographic records via the Repository or New Order import profiles, the load file must contain MARC21 bibliographic metadata in either XML format or MARC Binary format.

5. Repository Import Profile - Bibliographic
This is an example of a MARC record in XML format.

6. Repository Import Profile - Bibliographic
The bibliographic metadata can be normalized upon import using any of the out-of-the box normalization routines, or a customized normalization routine you created yourself.

7. Repository Import Profile - Bibliographic
You can configure the profiles to create bibliographic records, only if no matching records are found in your repository, or, only if matching records are found…

8. Repository Import Profile - Bibliographic
… in which case you can then use the incoming records to overlay or merge with the existing records.

9. Repository Import Profile - Bibliographic
You can also configure the profile to allow deletion of bibliographic records.

10. Repository Import Profile - Bibliographic
Import Profiles can tag the imported bibliographic records to suppress them from being published.

11. Repository Import Profile - Inventory
If the load file contains inventory information, the import profiles can create inventory records in Alma, namely, holdings and item records for physical inventory…

12. Repository Import Profile - Inventory
…and portfolio records for electronic inventory.

13. Repository Import Profile - Inventory
Note that the import profile will not create a new electronic collection, but can add portfolios to an existing collection.

14. Repository Import Profile - Inventory
If the load file contains physical and electronic inventory information, you can use a single profile to create the appropriate inventory records in Alma.

15. Repository Import Profile - Inventory
The profile serves as a mapping of the information in the load file to the appropriate fields in Alma.

16. Repository Import Profile - Inventory
If certain inventory information is missing in the load file, you can configure the profile to use a default value.

17. New Order Profile – Purchase Order Lines
If the load file contains order information, you can use the New Order import profile to create purchase order lines in Alma, in addition to bibliographic and inventory records.

18. New Order Profile - Purchase Order Lines
The profile serves as a mapping of the order information in the load file to the appropriate fields in Alma.

19. New Order Profile - Purchase Order Lines
If certain order information is missing in the load file, you can configure the profile to provide a default value.

20. New Order Profile - Purchase Order Lines
Some information will be applied to all purchase order lines created by the import, for example the purchase order line type, acquisition method and currency.

21. New Order Profile - Purchase Order Lines
You can use a single profile to import a file containing records from different vendors. Of course, all records must have the same currency, acquisition method and purchase order line type.

22. Update Inventory Profile
The final type of import profile we will discuss is the Update Inventory profile. This profile type is used to import shelf-ready files in order to update bibliographic and inventory records associated with an existing order.

23. Update Inventory Profile
As with the other profile types, bibliographic metadata can be normalized upon import.

24. Update Inventory Profile - Matching
Unlike the other profile types, the information in the file will be imported only if a matching PO line is found.

25. Update Inventory Profile – Inventory Information
In which case, the profile will update existing inventory records – physical and/or electronic – as well as create new inventory, if inventory records defined in the file are not found in the repository.
You can also choose to skip the manual receiving process for shelf-ready inventory.

26. Scenarios – Repository Profile
New bibliographic records
Update bibliographic records
New inventory records
Common scenario:
create brief bib records, e.g. to order
Load new file with full bib records
Another use case:
re-importing bib records
Now that we’ve seen the different kinds of records you can create with import profiles, let’s take a look at some use case scenarios for each of the profile types.
The Repository profile can be used to create new bibliographic and inventory records, and to update existing bibliographic records.
A common scenario for using the Repository profile is to create brief bibliographic records as the basis for a future order. If and when a file containing full records is loaded, the Repository profile can match the full records to the existing brief records and update them with the full information.
Another use case for the Repository profile is when re-importing bibliographic records that were exported from Alma and updated in an external text editor. The Repository profile can re-import those records without adversely affecting any inventory and order records that may be attached to the bibliographic record.

27. Scenarios – New Order Profile
Single use case: create new purchase order lines
only if bib record imported or matches
creates new inventory records
The New Order profile has a single use case, namely to create new purchase order lines based on an EOD load file. The New Order profile will create a purchase order line only if the bibliographic record to which it is attached is successfully imported, or matches an existing bibliographic record. The New Order profile will always create new inventory records linked to the bibliographic records and orders, unlike the Repository profile, which can be configured to not create inventory records.

28. Scenarios – Update Inventory Profile
when matching purchase order line
can update the bibliographic metadata
can update the inventory record
can add inventory records
Typical use case:
Previously loaded EOD file.
Resource delivered or accessible
Load new file to:
update the bib (in case it was a brief record)
update the inventory
The Update Inventory profile is used when a purchase order line already exists in Alma that matches the order information in the load file. The Update Inventory profile can update the bibliographic metadata and inventory records linked to the matching purchase order line, and add inventory records which are not yet reflected in Alma.
The typical use case for the Update Inventory profile is that you previously loaded an EOD file that created the purchase order line, the bibliographic and the inventory records. Now, the physical material has been delivered, or the electronic resources made available, and you want to load a new file in order to update the bibliographic metadata (in case it was a brief record) and update the inventory (for example, to add a barcode or a URL).

29. Session Review Agenda Agenda Introduction Repository import profile
New Order import profile
Update Inventory import profile
Session Review
In this session, we discussed three types of Import Profiles and the records they can create.
To summarize:
The Repository import profile can create and update bibliographic records. Optionally, it can also create inventory records: holdings and item records for physical inventory and portfolio records for electronic inventory. Additionally, normalization rules can be applied to the bibliographic records it creates, and records can be tagged to be suppressed from publishing.
The New Order import profile is an extension of the Repository import profile. In addition to creating bibliographic and inventory records, the New Order profile will create new purchase order lines linked to those bibliographic and inventory records.
Finally, the Update Inventory import profile is intended for use with a load file containing Shelf Ready records. The assumption of the Update Inventory profile is that a purchase order line already exists in Alma with associated bibliographic and inventory records. The Update Inventory profile will attempt to find the matching purchase order line and update the bibliographic and inventory records in Alma associated with that purchase order line, according to the information contained in the load file.