The Upgrade to Aleph v.18 - an Overview
by Maureen Zajkowski, OLIS

Cover Story

V.18 Upgrade Overview

Features

Sandbox

Staff Accounts & Circ

V.18 Web OPAC

Angel & OLIS Training

Standardized Indexes

New Titles Lists

SUNYConnect Updates

How to Contact Us

Linkable Links

This is an overview of general information related to the SUNYConnect LMS software upgrade.

The v16-v18 upgrade calendar for the DEV (Development) and PROD (Production) regions of the 56 campuses on the shared servers Delaware, Saranac and Seneca was initially released in February. The most current version of the calendar can be found here, on the OLIS Documentation Portal.

The calendar starts with two pages of **MUST READ** notes. Please review these notes as they provide valuable information that campus staff must be aware of regarding the upgrade.

The differences between Aleph v16 and v18 will not require regional Aleph training. Refer to the TRAINING note on the upgrade calendar for additional information. The following link provides access to Interwise Sessions by Ex Libris that highlight v18 updates and also provides access to v18 documentation.

Because the OLIS and ITEC staff are heavily involved in preparing for the upgrade, many v16 support requests will be re-visited after the v18 upgrade. Please be assured that the OLIS and ITEC will continue to support urgent issues related to server access and major PROD functionality problems. The types of requests that will be re-evaluated after the v18 upgrade relate to requests for new initiatives and changes in functionality that already work. Examples include support requests for help with:

• new indexes
• batch data loads EXCEPT for PLIFs
• table edits EXCEPT for tab16, 17 and 31 (Circ changes needed every semester)
• new functionality that the campus had not previously implemented
• optional global data changes (reclassifications, new collection codes, transfers, etc.)
• new printed products and changes to overdues

Also, there are types of requests that the OLIS and ITEC are not able to support. While this is not new, hopefully this review will be helpful. Examples include:

• requests not specifically related to Aleph (workflow questions, basics of cataloging, implementing external search forms)
• requests to disable or override features in Aleph that actually do serve a purpose (such as disabling document validation errors - bib record does not have a 245 [title] field)
• requests to support non-standard functionality (serials pattern data in the campus 50 library rather than in the 60 library)
• WebOPAC and GUI customizations beyond what is needed for functionality
• support for 3rd party applications/products outside of any required Aleph configuration (ILLiad, OCLC Connexion, printers, labeling software, Macros, LDAP)

The preparation of the upgrade has taken several months and includes a number of staff from the OLIS and ITEC. Karen Gardner-Athey, Maggie Horn and Laura Murray will provide more specific information in this issue of SUNYergy on functionality updates with v18. Valerie Lehman and Natalie Sturr have worked on the testing and preparation of the upgrade processes. They will be involved in activities associated with the Aleph portion of the v18 upgrades. Todd Randall and Paul Hebert will be involved in the required Oracle upgrades. Nathan Fixler has devoted significant time to enhancing functionality for Sandbox and has provided support for script writing and updates for the Aleph PLIF. Additional ITEC staff are involved in supporting server hardware, operating system and storage maintenance.

Given the complexity of this process, we appreciate your understanding as we all work together to move from v16 to v18. Additional information regarding the upgrade will be provided to campuses when their v18 Aleph DEV regions become available.

Version 18 Aleph Upgrade & Campus Customizations
Natalie Sturr (Oswego/OLIS)

Part of the v18 upgrade involves upgrading campus Aleph/unix tables. Almost all files are upgraded using scripts developed by either ExLibris or OLIS. There are a few files that cannot be automatically upgraded due to campus customizations. These are primarily forms (files in the form_eng directory) and the fill-in-the-blank screens for GUI services (files in the pc_b_eng directory). OLIS will attempt to manually apply the campus customizations as necessary. OLIS is not able to upgrade files that include extensive customizations or files where customizations do not affect functionality. Files not upgraded by OLIS will be given to the campus, along with information to assist in upgrading the file. Note that very few files will be “returned” – most campuses will not receive any. Campus customization challenges will be communicated to campuses via Footprints. OLIS will create a Footprints issue and send it to the campus contact. This will help everyone track the topic.

Aleph Update from the SUNY Council of Library Directors

At the April 2008 SCLD Annual Meeting, there was considerable discussion regarding the amount of resources the OLIS uses to support the Aleph system. The concern was that the focus of staff and funding on Aleph prevents the OLIS from taking on new initiatives to enhance patron services. The Council expresses strong feelings that the OLIS must move to limit resources being devoted to Aleph and investigate other support options as well as increase the number of campuses in Managed Services. The library directors acknowledge that to significantly limit the level of Aleph support provided, the OLIS would need to standardize more functions across campuses. The result would be a reduction in campus autonomy. The Council has asked the OLIS to propose possible models at the Fall SCLD Meeting about reducing the Aleph support efforts. The OLIS will also provide information from Footprints to the library directors regarding their campus support activities.