Load Users Report
The SirsiDynix Symphony Workstation server needs to be running to schedule and run this report, or the report will fail. Do not halt the SirsiDynix Symphony Workstation server until the report displays on the finished list.
On SirsiDynix Symphony K12 systems, this report is named ”User Load From External Source.”
The Load Users (Userload) report loads user records from a flat ASCII text file into the SirsiDynix Symphony user database, creating new users, updating existing users, or restoring users that were erased by the Remove Users Report.
This report contains the following tabs.
| • | Basic Tab: Reports |
| • | User File Selection Tab |
| • | Grouplink Selection Tab |
| • | MyBistro Edit Tab |
On the User File Selection tab, you are required to select the name of the file to load and the default library to assign if the incoming user record does not specify a user library.
Creating and Updating User Records
Three steps are used to import user record data into the user database.
| 1 | Prepare the input records according to SirsiDynix Symphony’s requirements. Any field that is not used should be omitted from the record. For an example, see the User Record Format for Loading User Information With the Load Users Report topic. |
| 2 | Transfer the file containing the user record data from your PC disk to the /Unicorn/Xfer directory of your server using an ftp application. |
| 3 | Run this Load Users report to create or update the SirsiDynix Symphony user records. |
Restoring Erased User Records
You can also use this report to restore user records you have accidentally erased using the Remove Users report. Each time the Remove Users report runs in Update mode, it creates a .dmp file that contains all the user records erased by the report, which it stores in the Unicorn/Xfer directory of your server. The naming convention of these files is remuserYYYYMMDDHHMI.dmp, such as remuser201308010400.dmp.
By selecting the appropriate .dmp file to load and a default library on the User File Selection tab, then running this Load Users report, you can restore the erased SirsiDynix Symphony user records to the server.
Required User Record Fields
The following are required fields for a properly created user record.
|
Required Field |
Description |
|
.USER_ID. |
User ID |
|
.USER_NAME. |
User name (pre Version 3.3) |
|
.USER_LAST_NAME. |
User last name (Version 3.3 and later) |
|
.USER_PROFILE. |
User profile policy |
|
.UACNT_CLEARANCE. |
Clearance (if creating accountability) |
|
.USER_PREF_LANG. |
User preferred language |
The User Name field is the name field used by pre-Version 3.3 systems. Sites that have user record input files created before the Version 3.3 upgrade can still load these files using the updated Load Users report. If the input file contains name data in the User Name field, the data will be loaded into the Last Name field in Version 3.3. If the user record input file has data in the User Name field and also in the Last Name field, the data in the Last Name field will be loaded into the user record.
Although a user record requires these values, it is also possible to use the Load Users report to create or update users using only very brief user information, such as alternate ID and zip code. When the report is used in this way, additional information will need to be already in existing records.
Loading User Records
If the User Profile used in a loaded user record is defined so that a fee would be assessed to a new user for the privilege of using the library, a bill for that user will automatically be created when the record is loaded.
If an error in a user record’s format prevents the import of the record, the error record prints below the error message in the report log to easily identify the data causing the problem. Error records are saved to the /Unicorn/Xfer/userload.err file. These records can be corrected by the SirsiDynix Symphony administrator and reloaded into SirsiDynix Symphony.
When user records are loaded using this report, the user’s data is immediately added to the User Dynamic Database index.
When the report is run in Test Only mode, a count of valid incoming user records is included. This count is only an estimate, as it never includes the number of incoming records that will update existing user records. The count of users that would have been updated is always zero in Test Only mode.
User record data files uploaded to the Unicorn/Xfer directory via the User Data Upload Wizard are deleted from the SirsiDynix Symphony server after the users are loaded into the SirsiDynix Symphony database via the Load Users report.
You can load users using any of the following attributes in the user record:
| • | User ID |
| • | Alternate ID |
| • | Web Auth ID |
By default, the Load Users report is configured to load user record updates or determine if a new user record needs to be created. Before new user records are loaded into the database, the user ID is checked to see if it already exists, or if it is a previous user ID for an existing user, as follows:
| • | If the user ID of the user record to be loaded does not match an existing user ID, and does not match a previous user ID stored in a user record’s extended information (that is, Previous User ID1 or Previous User ID2), the incoming user record is created. |
| • | If the incoming user ID matches exactly one existing user ID or previously used user ID, the matching user record is modified. |
| • | If the incoming user ID matches more than one existing user ID or previously-used user IDs, the user record is written to the userload.err file and is not loaded. |
User records can be loaded by the standard alternate ID, or by any of the three alternate IDs that may exist in the user record’s extended information (such as Social Security Number, Driver’s License, and Student ID). The alternate ID is checked to see if it matches the standard Alternate ID or any other alternate ID, as follows:
| • | If the alternate ID of the user record to be loaded does not match the standard alternate ID or any other alternate IDs in existing user records, the user record is created. |
| • | If the incoming alternate ID matches an existing standard alternate ID or an alternate ID in a user record’s extended information, then the matching user record is modified. |
| • | If the incoming alternate ID matches more than one existing standard alternate ID or alternate IDs in a user record’s extended information, the user record is written to the userload.err file and is not loaded. |
You can also choose to move previous user IDs to the Inactive ID list when you load the records using an alternate ID. Select the Move Previous User ID to Inactive IDs option on the User File Selection tab after selecting the Load by Alternate ID and Update Other ID options; when the report updates a user ID, it moves the previous user ID to the Inactive ID list.
The alternate ID is a case-sensitive field and must be typed exactly to match a record; if the case of the alternate ID of the incoming record is different from that of the alternate ID of the existing record, SirsiDynix Symphony will create a new user record. For example, if the incoming alternate ID value is TESTVALUE and the existing alternate ID is testvalue, SirsiDynix Symphony will create a new user record for TESTVALUE.
Users can also be loaded using the Web Auth ID if the Load by Web Auth ID option has been enabled on the User File Selection tab. If both the Update User ID and/or Alt ID option and the Load by Web Auth ID option are enabled, both the user ID and the alternate ID are updated if their values have been updated in the incoming record.
Unless the Web Auth ID is being used for matching user records, Web Auth IDs are always updated if SirsiDynix Symphony detects an update in the Web Auth ID field.
The Web Auth ID is a case-sensitive field and must be typed exactly to match a record; if the case of the Web Auth ID of the incoming record is different from that of the Web Auth ID of the existing record, SirsiDynix Symphony will create a new user record. For example, if the incoming Web Auth ID value is TESTVALUE and the existing Web Auth ID is testvalue, SirsiDynix Symphony will create a new user record for TESTVALUE.
Important Considerations When Running this Report
| • | Run the Add, Delete, Update User report nightly to move the user information from the User Dynamic Database index to the regular index. |
| • | For more information about formatting ASCII text user records for importing, refer to the Record Formatting Guide on the SirsiDynix Customer Support Web page. |
| • | For libraries that utilize the User Groups/Family Card feature, any existing user who is the notice master for a group that is added to another group using the Load Users report will replace the existing notice master. For example, User A belongs to SMITH group and is the notice master. User B belongs to JONES group and is also the notice master. The library staff member extracts User A from the database and reloads the user as part of the JONES group. When the Load Users report loads the user, User A will become the new notice master for JONES group. |
Related topics
User Record Format for Loading User Information With the Load Users Report