1. A. Mays, Winthrop University, 2005 + automatically generated title-specific unique hotlinks + customized Access data analysis Slide 1 of 79 D ata manipulation using Excel: Getting your exported text file ready for:

2. Slide 2 of 79

3. Slide 3 of 79 This is the plain text file, as exported, in its unedited form. Don’t just open the text-file with the default text editor, but use Excel to open this file instead.

4. Slide 4 of 79

5. Slide 5 of 79

6. Slide 6 of 79 Next, Excel’s Text Import Wizard takes you through the steps of choosing how to import your data to match the way you’ll need them in Excel... Default for data is “fixed width”: Change it to “delimited”.

7. Slide 7 of 79

8. Slide 8 of 79 Why are we changing field delimiters? Remember the Millennium Export delimiters? Here’s where they meet the Excel text-import function.

9. Slide 9 of 79

10. Slide 10 of 79

11. Slide 11 of 79

12. Slide 12 of 79

13. Slide 13 of 79

14. Slide 14 of 79 Your goal is malleable Excel data. This looks like an Excel file but isn’t: It is still the text file, so the next step is saving this as an Excel file.

15. Slide 15 of 79

16. Slide 16 of 79

17. insert a blank row at the top. + it will be used later to add the field names to be used in the Access database. + field names can be added from scratch, or they can be copied from an earlier timeframe’s new-titles spreadsheet. Slide 17 of 79

18. For now, leave the new top row blank. Reason: bulk data preparation is easier without the new column names Slide 18 of 79

19. Remember the cheat-sheet from earlier? Now is a good time to open it, to get ready for the data clean-up and “prettying up” clunky-looking repeat values. This handy cheat- sheet contains a list of all the repeat data cleanup. (Note: you’ll have to create it just once and then update its information as needed) Slide 19 of 79

20. The cheat-sheet: you’ll see its use later in this demo. Slide 20 of 79

21. Next: data preparation. Create an invisible title-sort field: Copy the title field Slide 21 of 79

22. Insert the copied title field. At first you’ll have two identical fields. One field will remain the same; the title-sort field will be edited some. These fields’ functionalities will come to full fruition in the Access database. Slide 22 of 79

23. Note the copied sort field. Rename it to “TitleBibliographic” for future use. Slide 23 of 79

24. Title-sort field: Delete all beginning articles, such as “the” “a” “an”, “el”, “la”, etc with the find-and-replace (search by columns, not rows. Make sure you only edit the sorting field and not the neighboring title field. Use “replace”, not “replace all”). Can’t remember all those articles from the applicable languages? Just list them on your cheat-sheet. Slide 24 of 79

25. More data preparation: insert a blank column between the “Call#” and “Location” fields. Slide 25 of 79

26. Slide 26 of 79

27. Slide 27 of 79

28. Next: inserting the column names. Column names will be the basis of fields of the Access data table formed from this spreadsheet. Slide 28 of 79

29. Remember this new empty row, left blank for the time being? Empty cells are above the following fields: TitleBibliographic – this is the invisible sorting field Title – this is the field embedded in the concatenated search cell Author – used for search fields where Call# is too generic for unique search Imprint – brought into the Access report (that generates the webpage) Location – location code LocationMeaning – this field has more descriptive location name for patron use Call# (bibliographic) – Call# on the shelf Note (order) – this contains some info useful for later data refining Processing note – contains information about gifts; part of the Access/web reports Slide 29 of 79

30. Now, open last month’s spreadsheet (if you have one) and: + copy the top row + insert it into this month’s just-prepared spreadsheet + from-scratch instructions follow 4 slides down Slide 30 of 79

31. Slide 31 of 79 Copy these top rows from a previous new-titles spreadsheet

32. Slide 32 of 79 Now insert them in the new spreadsheet you’re currently working on.

33. Slide 33 of 79 And here they are... The just-copied rows.

34. If you’re just starting, you don’t have any spreadsheet from an earlier month. And... you can’t copy-and-insert last month’s top row into this month’s empty row. + In that case, just name the empty columns: Above this fieldName the blank field this:TitleBibliographicTitleAuthorImprintLocationLocationMeaning Call # (bibliographic)CallNumber Note (order)AlsoUsefulFor Processing noteGiftFrom Slide 34 of 79

35. “Freeze panes” under the top rows you want to see while scrolling through all records. (not necessary, but it’s convenient for data clean-up) Slide 35 of 79

36. Next: data clean-up. Start by bulk-deleting unneeded data. Highlight unneeded data and “delete”. Slide 36 of 79

37. In this example, earlier data (from the rows below) are now gone. Slide 37 of 79

38. Slide 38 of 79 These data remain: they’ll be in the Access database and data queries.

39. Remember the cheat-sheet? Here it is again, this time applied to data clean-up... Slide 39 of 79

40. Cheat-sheet eliminates the burden of remembering how to replace each clunky-looking value. Using the same information every month also ensures data consistency in the whole database. Here’s an example of a home-grown informal value to be replaced with more formal wording to benefit library patrons. Slide 40 of 79

41. Throughout Excel, use the easy “find-and-place” function to edit any data in need of refining. “By Rows” is default. Change it to “by Columns”. Reason: you’re searching by column, within the same data field. Slide 41 of 79

42. Slide 42 of 79

43. Slide 43 of 79

44. Next: prepare for automatic search fields. The easiest way to do this is by lumping together all items to be searched by the same value. Example: cluster together everything to be searched by LC call# and non-LC call# The first step is to sort items by location code. This will lump together the new titles by their collections and call# types. Spreadsheets don’t sort as conveniently as databases. To get the spreadsheet to sort by the left column (location): Copy the “location” column” Insert it on the left. Then highlight all data rows to be sorted (important: the spreadsheet only sorts the highlighted column! highlight all data except the header rows, or the sort results will garble) Sort them by “A-Z” (this will sort by location code in ascending order) Slide 44 of 79

45. Slide 45 of 79 Copy the entire “location code” column and add it to the left of all other data columns. It will become the sorting column for this data-editing stage.

46. Slide 46 of 79 Sort by the new location code field on the very left. Once everything is sorted by location code, filling in all the “Location Meaning” values is just a matter of easy copy-and-paste.

47. Copy and paste the descriptive “Location Meaning” value. Copy a value once, then paste it in all applicable subsequent rows. Slide 47 of 79

48. Example of finished bulk-copied values for the “Location Meaning” field. Slide 48 of 79

49. Slide 49 of 79 Now the data are cleaned-up; you’re ready to generate the title-specific unique search links. Next: Concatenating fields to build unique hyperlinks.

50. The structure of concatenated search fields: Slide 50 of 79 How “ProgrammedSearchLink” is built: + OPAC search start, e.g. by LC call# joined with: + “SearchElement”is copy of unique call# Next: example of a complete title-specific hotlink Title = B5 M5=L5&k5 finished hyperlink: N5 = b5&”#”&m5 Call# = G5Call# for search: K5 = G5

51. Slide 51 of 79 Describing archives#http://library.winthrop.edu/search/c?SEARCH=Z695.2.S625 2004

52. Slide 52 of 79 All search fields have the same syntax “Title#ProgrammedSearchLink”. Construct this search field once, then copy-and-paste its syntax into all the remaining “HyperlinkCombined” rows, throughout this entire spreadsheet.

53. Slide 53 of 79 Highlight all, then paste the copied syntax into all the search fields.

54. Copy these three fields: + SearchElement + PlainSearchLink + P rogrammedSearcLink Next, paste them in bulk throughout all remaining records with LC call numbers. Why these three fields? They contain the building blocks of the unique links for all titles with unique call numbers. Slide 54 of 79

55. Slide 55 of 79 Now bulk-paste these three copied fields into all remaining LC-call# titles’ remaining rows.

56. Slide 56 of 79 After the bulk-paste. These here intentionally left blank... Next: constructing search links for non-LC call# items.

57. Also on the cheat-sheet: reminders on search links for titles with non-LC call#s First non-LC example: Juvenile titles with Dewey call numbers Slide 57 of 79

58. Slide 58 of 79

59. Select the non-LC search link for copying Slide 59 of 79

60. Slide 60 of 79

61. Slide 61 of 79 Here, of the non-LC call numbers, on the Dewey call#s are unique for the specific titles. As with LC-call#s, the “search element” equals the call number. Copy these three fields again: + SearchElement + PlainSearchLink + ProgrammedSearchLink Then paste them into all remaining rows of titles with unique non-LC call numbers

62. Slide 62 of 79

63. Slide 63 of 79

64. Slide 64 of 79

65. Slide 65 of 79

66. Next: what to do when call numbers are too generic for a unique OPAC search and there’s no other unique field indexed for OPAC searching in the record... Slide 66 of 79

67. Slide 67 of 79

68. Slide 68 of 79

69. Slide 69 of 79

70. Slide 70 of 79

71. Slide 71 of 79

72. Slide 72 of 79

73. Slide 73 of 79

74. Slide 74 of 79

75. Sneak preview: Excel concatenated hyperlink search fields in Access... Slide 75 of 79

76. When the Excel table is brought into Access: + everything copies over, including the hyperlink. Note how the # symbol invokes the following: 1.the end of the text 2.the beginning of the URL 3.the “hiding” of the URL behind the text, as a fully functional hyperlink. Slide 76 of 79

77. You’ll see this again in the Access portion (next). Slide 77 of 79

78. Slide 78 of 79

79. Back to start To next segment: 5. Access programming (42 slides)5. Access programming Slide 79 of 79