[Wactclc-alma] Quarter Blocks set yesterday have disappeared today

[Kim Mitchell]

Thank you for the helpful responses.

Kirsti,
I have manually entered the blocks and I left the box the Add as an external unchecked. (same as last quarter)
So your email is helpful in that it confirms that what I was doing was correct; Leaving the box unchecked.



From: Wactclc-alma <wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu> On Behalf Of Thomas, Kirsti
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2018 2:26 PM
To: WACTCLC Alma Discussion <wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu>
Subject: Re: [Wactclc-alma] Quarter Blocks set yesterday have disappeared today

One of the things I've run into is that patrons blocks can be created as "internal" blocks or "external" blocks.

If you import your patron records from an outside source (like I think all of us do), then you have to make sure that the block is an "internal" block to protect it from being overwritten.

If you create the block as an "external" block, than Alma expects the block to exist somewhere in the incoming record during your daily load and will delete the block when it doesn't show up in the incoming patron record.

You can see in Alma Analytics whether a block is set as an external field or not.  If your block is "external" then BULK_UPDATE appears in the Block External ID field in Alma Analytics.  If the Block External ID field is blank, then the block has been created as an internal note field.  The hard part is catching this in the window of time between when Analytics updates and your patron load happens. Don't ask me how or why I know this.


If you're adding blocks to a set of patron records via a job, make sure you use the following setting in the task parameters to keep the block from being overwritten:

Added/changed field: Internal


When you add a block to a patron record manually, I think the default setting is to add the block as an internal field.  Even if the user record is an external record (i.e. is loaded from an outside source), fields that you create as internal fields are protected from overlay during the daily patron load.  By leaving the box for Add as an external  unchecked, you should (?) protect the block from being overwritten.


[cid:image001.png at 01D3E86C.D910B860]

Does this help?


Kirsti S. Thomas
Library Technical Services Manager
Seattle Colleges
kirsti.thomas at seattlecolleges.edu<mailto:kirsti.thomas at seattlecolleges.edu>



From: Wactclc-alma [mailto:wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu] On Behalf Of Kim Mitchell
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2018 13:02
To: WACTCLC Alma Discussion <wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu>>
Subject: [Wactclc-alma] Quarter Blocks set yesterday have disappeared today

Okay,

This is a repeat from last quarter. Setting a block on student account yesterday is erased today.
I blocked both for "other" (which was the workaround from last quarter which indicated overdue) and "fine owed".

To my dismay, the whole block list I worked on...the work is lost.

Any suggestions?

Thank you


Kim Mitchell
Library Paraprofessional 3
Skagit Valley College
Whidbey island Campus
360-679-5221

Committed to Students

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