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BIP on CD-ROM, OCLC, and dBASE III + combine to improve acquisitions workflow
Library Acquisitmns: Practice & Theory, Vol. 13, pp. 371-379, 1989 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
Copyright 0
0364~6408/89 $3.00 + .OO 1989 Pergamon Press plc
A CQUISITIONS INN0 VA TION
BIP ON CD-ROM, OCLC, AND DBASE III+ COMBINE TO IMPROVE ACQUISITIONS WORKFLOW MICHAEL
J. THAYER
Catalog Librarian, Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Abstract - Books in Print Plus on CD-ROM, OCLC, and dBase III+ were combined to improve acquisitions workflow. Using in$ormation downloaded from OCLC and integrating it with information downloaded from Books in Print Plus into a dBase III+ JiIe heIps the library acquisitions department create an on-order database and eliminates the time-consuming task of typing book orders.
INTRODUCTION Skidmore College Library’s first encounter with CD-ROM information products was its purchase of Books in Print on CD-ROM. After connecting it to an IBM PC XT and experimenting with some simple searches, it was difficult to understand how this system could replace our paper copy of BIP. It seemed to take just as long to find an item using the CDROM version, and there was a learning curve that had to be encountered. But soon the power of the CD-ROM product was revealed; the most evident factor being the number and types of indexes available on the CD-ROM version. BIP on CD-ROM allows for author, title, subject, ISBN, author/title, subject/author, key word in title, series, and a number of other search methods. It also supports Boolean (and/or/not) operations. Other indications of its power were the ability to print records and the storage on disk of search results. These features represent major advantages over the paper product.
THE PROBLEM Realizing the advantages of BIP on CD-ROM over the paper product, we wondered whether or not a record could be downloaded into a dBase file, and what could be done with 371
372
M. J. THAYER
dBase files of BZP records? Finally we asked: What do we use BZP in hardcopy for, and how can CD-ROM make that function more efficient? When a book order request is received in the acquisitions office, it is checked against BZP to ensure that it is in print. The use of BZP on CD-ROM enables the acquisitions assistant to perform a more thorough search with less or less accurate information than would be possible using the paper version by taking advantage of the increased number of indexes and because there are more search strategies available. Next, it is checked on OCLC to determine the proper main entry and whether or not we own it. And finally a five-part order slip is typed and: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Mailed to a vendor, Filed in the “on-order” file, Filed in the catalog, Kept with the book when it arrives, and Used as a cataloging record until catalog cards are received.
This represents a lot of typing, and the “on-order” file can be indexed on only one element, order number, limiting access to on-order book statistics. Although BZP on CD-ROM has an electronic ordering feature, we were unable to take advantage of it because we order books from a number of vendors depending on the type of book and the discount offered. Many of these vendors did not have the capabilities to accept electronic ordering or were not included in the electronic ordering module of our initial version of BZP on CD-ROM.
THE SOLUTION It seems that, since we view the bibliographic
record electronically on OCLC (and now in from the screen and keep it in a data base instead of a card file. A data base would give us multiple index elements from which to track orders and could generate statistics that are impossible to obtain from a manual file. The data base would be free, a by-product of steps that we take in our manual process, and we could print our order slips from it and eliminate hours of typing and filing. Another benefit would be the shift from mundane, clerical, 19th~century routines to a more hi-tech, 2Oth-century operation which is faster and lets us achieve more in our already understaffed department.
BZP on CD-ROM) for the book we wish to order, we could capture that information
THE METHOD The data base chosen for the acquisition file, which would be used to store book order records and generate order slips and statistics, was created using dBase III+. dBase is a wonderful program to use in a library environment. It handles character data very well and with great flexibility. After completing the tutorial, dBase can be used with success, albeit modestly, by a novice working in the Assist mode. As the user becomes more confident, applications that are more sophisticated can be performed. The following discussion details a fairly advanced dBase application. The key to creating a dBase database from records obtained from differing electronic
BP
on CD-ROM,
OCLC, and
dBase III+
373
vzs - FUR OTHER HOLDINGS,ENTER dh DEPRESSDISPLAYRECD SEND OCLC:8954772 Ret stat: p Entrd: 821026 Used: 881021 Type:a Bib 1~1: inGovt pub: Lang: eng Source: Illus: kpr: Enc 1~1: Conf pub: 0 Ctry: ce" Dat tp: s M/F/B: 11 1ndx:0 Mod ret: Festschr:0 Cont: De.%: * Int lvl: Dates: 1983, 1 010 82-21286 2 040 DLC Ic DLC Id m/c 3 020 0151446474 4 0411 engita 5 050 0 PQ4865.C6lb N613 1983 6 082 o 853/.91412 19 7 090 tb 8 049 VZSA 9 100 10 Eco, Umberto.IW C" 10 240 10 Nome della roe*. 11 English 11 245 14 The name of the rose / 10 UmbertoEco ; translatedfrom the Italianby William Weaver. 12 250 1st ea. 13 260 0 San Diego : lb HercourtBrace Jovanovlch,Ic ~1983. 14 300 502 p. i Ic 25 cm. 15 500 Translationof: 11 nome della rose. "A Helen and Kurt Wolff book." 16 500
Figure 1. “Downloaded” OCLC record.
sources is to devise an intermediary file that wiil accept any field regardless of labels or types. Each record in this file has but one field, 80 characters long-the width of the screen. To get records into this file, we must capture information from OCLC and BIP. Both of these data bases have the facility to “download” screen displays, and we use these functions to fill our file. To capture OCLC screens, one must have an M3OOor Wyse OCLC terminal (essentially a microcomputer with OCLC communications hardware and software). The method of saving OCLC screens is weii documented in the M300 manual. Basically it is a matter of inserting a formatted diskette into a drive and pressing a series of SHIFT, CTRL [Control], and F[unction] keys to capture each screen. We capture the whole screen (Figure 1) and let our data base program pick out the desired fields, but one can also capture individual OCLC fields. The key sequence can be converted to a macro by using OCLC Terminal Software functions. Since BZP on CD-ROM requires a microcomputer to operate, the ability to download is inherent. The trick is to have the operating software present the user with a screen that contains the information needed in a useable form (Figure 2). This can be accomplished by choos-
Copyright(c) 1987,1988R. R. BOVKW COMPANY, A DIVISIONOF REED PUBLISHING(USA) INC. All rights reserved. Title: The Name of the Rose. Series title: A Helen h Kurt Wolff Bk. Author:Eco, Umberto.Weaver,William,translator. Publ. date: 06/1983 Publisher:HercourtBrace Jovenovich,Incorporated, San Diego, CA Binding:Hardcover. Price: $15.95 ISBN: O-15-144647-4 LC cat. no: 82-021286
Figure 2. “Downloaded” BIP+ record.
374
M. J. THAYER
Structurefor database:c:\dbase\order\readat.dbf Numberof data records: 0 Date of last update : 02/02/0a Width Dee Field Field Name Type Character 80 1 DATA ** Total** 81
Figure 3. Structure for dBase file “READAT.DBF”.
ing the Custom Display option during the installation procedure and selecting the desired fields from a list. This process is documented in the BP manual, as is the method of capturing a record to a disk. As stated, we must use an intermediary dBase file containing single-field records to accept the information captured from the screen. This file will be called “READAT.DBF (Figure 3); all dBase files have the extension “ .DBF”. To get data from the file of captured information to the intermediary dBase file, from dBase we use the dBase “SDF” function: . USE READAT l APPEND FROM BOWKER.TXT
SDF
This gives us a file that looks similar to the example in Figure 4, where each line is a record. From here, we must pick off the desired fields and incorporate them into a useable data base, called BIP.DBF (Figure 5). This is accomplished by writing a program to recognize chosen fields from READAT.DBF, saving them, and replacing blank fields in BIP.DBF. When the last field in each record is encountered, a new blank record is appended and replaced (Figure 6).
RecordW DATA 1 VZS - FOR oTlim HOLDING?., ENTER dh DEPf@SSDISPLAYBECD SEND Used: 880208 Ret stat: p Entrd: 821026 : OCLC: 0954772 4 Type: e Bib 1~1: m GWt pub: Lang: eng Source: Illus: Enc lvl: Conf pub: 0 Ctry: ceu Dat tp: e H/F/B: 11 5 wpr: 6 Indx: 0 nod ret: Festschr:0 Cant: 7 Deac: a Int lvl: Dates: 1983, 1 010 02-21286 0 2 040 DLC SC DLC $d m/c 9 3 020 0151446474 10 4 0411 englta 11 I.2 5 050 0 PQ4865.Cb$b N613 1983 6 082 c 853/.9X4$2 19 13 14 7090 $b VZSA 8 049 15 9 100 10 Eco, Umberto.$W Cn 16 17 10 240 10 Nome dell8 1.088.$1 English 18 11 245 14 The name of the roee / $c UmbertoECO i translatedfrom the 19 Italianby WillieInWeaver. let ed. 20 12 250 21 13 260.0 San Diego : $b HercourtBrace Jovanovlch.$C C1983. 502 P. i $c 25 cm. 22 14 300 Translationof: 11 ncuw della roe*. 23 15 500 "A Helen end Kurt Wolff book." 24 16 500 25
Figure 4. A listing of records from “READAT.DBF”.
BP
on CD-ROM,
OCLC,
and dBase III+
375
Structurefor database:c:\dbase\order\bip.dbf Number of data records: 3 Date of last update : 02/02/88 Width Field Field Name Type DeC 1 TITLE1 Character 80 2 TITLU Character SO 3 SERTIl Character 80 4 SERTI2 Character 80 Character 50 5 AUTHOR 6 EDITION Character 10 a 7 PUBDATE Character 80 8 PUBLISHER Character 7 9 PRICE Character 10 ISBN Character 15 11 BINDING Character 10 12 LCNUM Character 10 7 Character 13 ORDNUM a Character 14 DATEORD 2 15 COPIES Numeric Character 15 16 REVBY 2 17 DEPT_CODE Character 18 DEPT Character 40 a 19 DATE Character 4 20 DLR Character l* Total ** 597
Figure 5. Structure for dBase file “BIP.DBF”.
We now have a data base of information from BIP. This information essentially confirms that the book is in print, the cost, publisher data, and what bindings are available. The author, title, series, and date of publication data for any particular book can best be obtained from OCLC, for that data base is more likely to ha-re more accurate bibliographic information than does BIP. From the OCLC file, we would command: l l l
USE READAT ZAP APPEND FROM OCLCSVS
SDF
With a program similar to the one used to create the BIP file, we generate a file called OCLCDBF (Figure 7). Instead of locating field names in READAT, we find OCLC field numbers. When a desired field is encountered, the data to the right of the number is saved as a memory variable. The subfield markers and other control characters are located and removed by storing the data minus the control characters in a second variable, which in turn is used to replace the blank field in the OCLC.DBF record (Figure 8). It now becomes possible to create a file containing information from both BIP on CDROM and OCLC in the same record. Each record in the data base has fields that are identical to chosen fields from OCLC and from BIP records, along with some that we want to create that are unique. Remember: All this programming can be made invisible to the user, once it has been written and tested. All the dBase routines can be linked together in a single dBase program and DOS batch files can assist in initiating dBase. One could combine the BIP and OCLC files by JOINing them into a third file, or as we chose to do, UPDATE one into the other. To do so, the fields in both files that are to be updated must be similar. In this case, the BIP file is updated from the OCLC file. This means that the BIP file will use the Author, Title, Publication date, Edition, and Series title from
376
M. J. THAYER
. type bip.prg set path to o:\dbase\order set heading off set safety Off clear a11 se3.e a use readat sap append from export.doc sdf sele b use bip sele a go top star ’ ’ to mtitle1 star ’ ’ to mtitle2 stor ’ ’ to qau#or star ’ ’ to mtltle1 stor ’ ’ to mtitle2 star I I to mpublisher stor ’ ’ to mpubdate star ’ t to mbinding stor ’ I to mprice star ’ 1 to misbn do vhil -not. eoff) do case case substr(data,L2,16)=1Tltle’ star substr(data,l9) to mtltlel ease substr(data,ll,16)=1Author’ star substr(data,lc)) to nauthor case substr(data,8,16)='P.date’ ator substr(data,l9) to mpubdate case substr(data,8,16)=‘~blisherf stor aubstr(data,lc)) to republisher ease subatr(data,l2,16)=‘Price~ ator substr(data,lc)) to mprice case substr(data,13,16)=01SBN’ star substr(data,l9) to misbn sele b appen blan rep1 title1 with mtitlel star s ’ to mtftlel rep1 title2 with mtitle 2 star ’ ’ to mtitle2 rep1 author with mauthor stor * ’ to mauthor rep1 Publisher with mpublisher stor 1 ’ to mpublisher rep1 pubdate with apubdate ator 8 ’ to mpubdate rep1 price with mprice star ’ ’ to mprtce rep1 isbn with misbn star * ’ to misbn sele a endc skip andd clear all cancel
Figure 6. dBase program for converting BP+
records into dBase.
the presumably more accurate OCLC data base (Figure 9). In order to match records from the BIP file to records for the same item in the OCLC!fde, there must be a matc~g, unique field. ISBN is the most likely candidate because it is present in both the OCLC and HP data bases and is unique to a particular book. Thus, a series of commands will combine the information from both files:
BIP on Structure Number Date
of
Field
**
CD-ROM,OCLC, and dBaseIII+ for
of
database:
data last
Field
c:\dbase\order\oclC.dbf
records: update Name
Typt
02’02kdth
Dee
1
ISBN
Character
15
2
AUTHOR
Character
3
TITLE1
Character
50 80
4
TITLE2
Character
80
5
EDITION
ctmracter
10
6
PUBDATE
Character
a
7
SERTIl
Character
80
6
SEAT12
Character
Total
377
l*
Figure 7. Structure for dBase file “OCLC.DBF”.
l l
l l
USE BIP UPDATE ON ISBN FROM TITLEl, WITH OCLC-, WITH OCLC-, EDITION, OCLC-, SERTII, SERTIZ USE OCLC ZAP
OCLC REPLACE AUTHOR WITH OCLC-, AUTHOR, TITLEl, TITLEZ, WITH 0CLC-r TITLEZ, EDITION PUBDATE WITH OCLC-, PUBDATE, SERTIl WITH WITH 0CLC-r SERTIZ
After OCLC is incorporated into BZP, OCLC can be emptied (ZAPped) to make room for new information. If a record is located in BZP and not in OCLC, the record will remain unchanged in the data base. If a record is found in OCLC and not BIP, it must be loaded into the data base: l l
USE BIP APPEND FROM OCLC
If a book cannot be found in either OCLC or BIP, it can be entered manually: . USE BIP APPEND BLANK
l
CONCLUSION With the data base complete, it is a simple matter to obtain multipart tractor-feed book order forms and set up an output program to fill them out. Four-part slips are now used instead of five, with the paper “on-order” acquisitions file being replaced by the data base. With a date field in the data base, it is possible to track the success rate of vendors and switch to a different vendor after a set period of time. dBase has the ability to access date fields and perform arguments on them (IF DATEORD > 12/12/89, THEN LIST, etc.). Indexing by vendor can offer statistics on quantities of orders by each and various accounting statistics. By using a code for departments or funds, budget statistics become available in a myriad of formats. An index by department can offer a listing of all purchases or orders by a particular department, concluding with a total dollar amount spent by that department. Individual
378
M. J. THAYER
. type wzrif.prg set path to c:\dbase\order set headingoff set safetyoff clear a11 se1e a "se readat nap appendfrom a:oclc.svssdf sele b use OClC sell?a go top stor n 11to nlau stor " " to mti stor " " to qtil stor v 'Ito mpub star " " to mpubdate do while .not. eot'() do case .or. s"bstr(data,6,8)='1 case s"bstr(data,6,8)='100' .or. substr(data,6,8)='110' 11' if "$w"$data star at("$v".data) to mem etor men-1 to nem star substr(data,l4,mem) to ma" s1ss star substr(data,l4,79) to ma" endi case substr(data,6,8)='245' If "/"$date star at("/",data)to mem stor mem-1 to mem stor substr(data,l4,mem) to mti skip If substr(data,6,8)<>'250' .or. substr(data,6,8)0'260 star s"bstr(data,l,79) to mtil else endi case substr(data,6,8)='260' star at("$b",data)to mem star men+2 to mem stor at ("$c",data)to qeml star meml-1 to stem1 star substr(data,mem,meml) to mpub stor meml+3 to meml stor substr(data,meml) to mpubdate sele b appendblank rep1 author with ma" star ’ ’ to me.” rep1 title1 with mti star ’ ’ to mti If mtll <> " It rep1 title2 with mtil star ’ I to qtil s1s.Z endi rep1 publisherwith mpub star ’ ’ to mpub rep1 pubdate with mpubdate star ’ ’ to mpubdate se1e a endc skip endd clear all CPAlICd
Figure 8. dBase program for converting OCLC records into dBase.
EIP on CD-ROM,
OCLC,
Structurefor database:c:\dbase\order\bip.dbf Numberof data records: 3 Date of last uudate : 02/02/88 Field FieldName Type ‘-W 'idth DeC 1 TITLE1 80 Character 2 TITLE2 80 Character 3 SERTIl 80 Character 4 SERTI2 80 Character 5 AUTHOR Character 50 6 EDITION 10 Character 7 PUBDATE 8 Character 8 PUBLISHER Character 80 9 PRICE 7 Character 10 ISBN Character 15 11 BINDING 10 Character 12 LCNUM 10 Character 13 ORDNlJM 7 Character 14 DATEOBD 8 Character 15 COPIES 2 NU!lleriC 16 REVBY Character 15 17 DEPT_CODE Character 18 DEPT 4: Character 19 DATE Character : 20 DLR Character ** Total ** 597
and dBase III+
379
Structurefor database:c:\dbase\order\oclc.dbf Number of data records: 9 Date of last update : 02/02/88 Field Field Name Type Width Dee Character 15 1 ISBN Character 50 2 AUTHOR Character 80 3 TITLE1 Character 80 4 TITLE2 Character 10 5 EDITION Character 8 6 PUBDATE Character 80 7 SERTIl Character 80 8 SERTIZ l * Total ** 404
Figure 9. Data from “BIP.DBF” is replaced by data from “OCLC.DBF”.
department expenditures can be analyzed for collection development purposes or to ensure an equitable distribution of budget resources between departments. The ideal scenario in which to use this application would be through the use of an OCLC M310 Workstation (a Wyse PC 286) with a 40MB hard disk and CD-ROM drive attached. With this set-up the acquisitions assistant would sit at the workstation with a stack of orders, and from a main menu which boots when the computer is turned on (there are many software packages that create menus, and they are easily written in BASIC), initiate OCLC searching and download records. BIP is accessed next from the menu and orders can be searched and downloaded. Upon ending the BIP session, records are appended to the data base-also a menu item. After choosing this option, the user is asked whether or not order slips are desired; if so, the user is prompted to load order forms into the printer. All the steps described above can be incorporated into one transparent routine. The ability to search OCLC and BIP is all the computer expertise one needs to run the system.
Copyright 0
0364~6408/89 $3.00 + .OO 1989 Pergamon Press plc
A CQUISITIONS INN0 VA TION
BIP ON CD-ROM, OCLC, AND DBASE III+ COMBINE TO IMPROVE ACQUISITIONS WORKFLOW MICHAEL
J. THAYER
Catalog Librarian, Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Abstract - Books in Print Plus on CD-ROM, OCLC, and dBase III+ were combined to improve acquisitions workflow. Using in$ormation downloaded from OCLC and integrating it with information downloaded from Books in Print Plus into a dBase III+ JiIe heIps the library acquisitions department create an on-order database and eliminates the time-consuming task of typing book orders.
INTRODUCTION Skidmore College Library’s first encounter with CD-ROM information products was its purchase of Books in Print on CD-ROM. After connecting it to an IBM PC XT and experimenting with some simple searches, it was difficult to understand how this system could replace our paper copy of BIP. It seemed to take just as long to find an item using the CDROM version, and there was a learning curve that had to be encountered. But soon the power of the CD-ROM product was revealed; the most evident factor being the number and types of indexes available on the CD-ROM version. BIP on CD-ROM allows for author, title, subject, ISBN, author/title, subject/author, key word in title, series, and a number of other search methods. It also supports Boolean (and/or/not) operations. Other indications of its power were the ability to print records and the storage on disk of search results. These features represent major advantages over the paper product.
THE PROBLEM Realizing the advantages of BIP on CD-ROM over the paper product, we wondered whether or not a record could be downloaded into a dBase file, and what could be done with 371
372
M. J. THAYER
dBase files of BZP records? Finally we asked: What do we use BZP in hardcopy for, and how can CD-ROM make that function more efficient? When a book order request is received in the acquisitions office, it is checked against BZP to ensure that it is in print. The use of BZP on CD-ROM enables the acquisitions assistant to perform a more thorough search with less or less accurate information than would be possible using the paper version by taking advantage of the increased number of indexes and because there are more search strategies available. Next, it is checked on OCLC to determine the proper main entry and whether or not we own it. And finally a five-part order slip is typed and: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Mailed to a vendor, Filed in the “on-order” file, Filed in the catalog, Kept with the book when it arrives, and Used as a cataloging record until catalog cards are received.
This represents a lot of typing, and the “on-order” file can be indexed on only one element, order number, limiting access to on-order book statistics. Although BZP on CD-ROM has an electronic ordering feature, we were unable to take advantage of it because we order books from a number of vendors depending on the type of book and the discount offered. Many of these vendors did not have the capabilities to accept electronic ordering or were not included in the electronic ordering module of our initial version of BZP on CD-ROM.
THE SOLUTION It seems that, since we view the bibliographic
record electronically on OCLC (and now in from the screen and keep it in a data base instead of a card file. A data base would give us multiple index elements from which to track orders and could generate statistics that are impossible to obtain from a manual file. The data base would be free, a by-product of steps that we take in our manual process, and we could print our order slips from it and eliminate hours of typing and filing. Another benefit would be the shift from mundane, clerical, 19th~century routines to a more hi-tech, 2Oth-century operation which is faster and lets us achieve more in our already understaffed department.
BZP on CD-ROM) for the book we wish to order, we could capture that information
THE METHOD The data base chosen for the acquisition file, which would be used to store book order records and generate order slips and statistics, was created using dBase III+. dBase is a wonderful program to use in a library environment. It handles character data very well and with great flexibility. After completing the tutorial, dBase can be used with success, albeit modestly, by a novice working in the Assist mode. As the user becomes more confident, applications that are more sophisticated can be performed. The following discussion details a fairly advanced dBase application. The key to creating a dBase database from records obtained from differing electronic
BP
on CD-ROM,
OCLC, and
dBase III+
373
vzs - FUR OTHER HOLDINGS,ENTER dh DEPRESSDISPLAYRECD SEND OCLC:8954772 Ret stat: p Entrd: 821026 Used: 881021 Type:a Bib 1~1: inGovt pub: Lang: eng Source: Illus: kpr: Enc 1~1: Conf pub: 0 Ctry: ce" Dat tp: s M/F/B: 11 1ndx:0 Mod ret: Festschr:0 Cont: De.%: * Int lvl: Dates: 1983, 1 010 82-21286 2 040 DLC Ic DLC Id m/c 3 020 0151446474 4 0411 engita 5 050 0 PQ4865.C6lb N613 1983 6 082 o 853/.91412 19 7 090 tb 8 049 VZSA 9 100 10 Eco, Umberto.IW C" 10 240 10 Nome della roe*. 11 English 11 245 14 The name of the rose / 10 UmbertoEco ; translatedfrom the Italianby William Weaver. 12 250 1st ea. 13 260 0 San Diego : lb HercourtBrace Jovanovlch,Ic ~1983. 14 300 502 p. i Ic 25 cm. 15 500 Translationof: 11 nome della rose. "A Helen and Kurt Wolff book." 16 500
Figure 1. “Downloaded” OCLC record.
sources is to devise an intermediary file that wiil accept any field regardless of labels or types. Each record in this file has but one field, 80 characters long-the width of the screen. To get records into this file, we must capture information from OCLC and BIP. Both of these data bases have the facility to “download” screen displays, and we use these functions to fill our file. To capture OCLC screens, one must have an M3OOor Wyse OCLC terminal (essentially a microcomputer with OCLC communications hardware and software). The method of saving OCLC screens is weii documented in the M300 manual. Basically it is a matter of inserting a formatted diskette into a drive and pressing a series of SHIFT, CTRL [Control], and F[unction] keys to capture each screen. We capture the whole screen (Figure 1) and let our data base program pick out the desired fields, but one can also capture individual OCLC fields. The key sequence can be converted to a macro by using OCLC Terminal Software functions. Since BZP on CD-ROM requires a microcomputer to operate, the ability to download is inherent. The trick is to have the operating software present the user with a screen that contains the information needed in a useable form (Figure 2). This can be accomplished by choos-
Copyright(c) 1987,1988R. R. BOVKW COMPANY, A DIVISIONOF REED PUBLISHING(USA) INC. All rights reserved. Title: The Name of the Rose. Series title: A Helen h Kurt Wolff Bk. Author:Eco, Umberto.Weaver,William,translator. Publ. date: 06/1983 Publisher:HercourtBrace Jovenovich,Incorporated, San Diego, CA Binding:Hardcover. Price: $15.95 ISBN: O-15-144647-4 LC cat. no: 82-021286
Figure 2. “Downloaded” BIP+ record.
374
M. J. THAYER
Structurefor database:c:\dbase\order\readat.dbf Numberof data records: 0 Date of last update : 02/02/0a Width Dee Field Field Name Type Character 80 1 DATA ** Total** 81
Figure 3. Structure for dBase file “READAT.DBF”.
ing the Custom Display option during the installation procedure and selecting the desired fields from a list. This process is documented in the BP manual, as is the method of capturing a record to a disk. As stated, we must use an intermediary dBase file containing single-field records to accept the information captured from the screen. This file will be called “READAT.DBF (Figure 3); all dBase files have the extension “ .DBF”. To get data from the file of captured information to the intermediary dBase file, from dBase we use the dBase “SDF” function: . USE READAT l APPEND FROM BOWKER.TXT
SDF
This gives us a file that looks similar to the example in Figure 4, where each line is a record. From here, we must pick off the desired fields and incorporate them into a useable data base, called BIP.DBF (Figure 5). This is accomplished by writing a program to recognize chosen fields from READAT.DBF, saving them, and replacing blank fields in BIP.DBF. When the last field in each record is encountered, a new blank record is appended and replaced (Figure 6).
RecordW DATA 1 VZS - FOR oTlim HOLDING?., ENTER dh DEPf@SSDISPLAYBECD SEND Used: 880208 Ret stat: p Entrd: 821026 : OCLC: 0954772 4 Type: e Bib 1~1: m GWt pub: Lang: eng Source: Illus: Enc lvl: Conf pub: 0 Ctry: ceu Dat tp: e H/F/B: 11 5 wpr: 6 Indx: 0 nod ret: Festschr:0 Cant: 7 Deac: a Int lvl: Dates: 1983, 1 010 02-21286 0 2 040 DLC SC DLC $d m/c 9 3 020 0151446474 10 4 0411 englta 11 I.2 5 050 0 PQ4865.Cb$b N613 1983 6 082 c 853/.9X4$2 19 13 14 7090 $b VZSA 8 049 15 9 100 10 Eco, Umberto.$W Cn 16 17 10 240 10 Nome dell8 1.088.$1 English 18 11 245 14 The name of the roee / $c UmbertoECO i translatedfrom the 19 Italianby WillieInWeaver. let ed. 20 12 250 21 13 260.0 San Diego : $b HercourtBrace Jovanovlch.$C C1983. 502 P. i $c 25 cm. 22 14 300 Translationof: 11 ncuw della roe*. 23 15 500 "A Helen end Kurt Wolff book." 24 16 500 25
Figure 4. A listing of records from “READAT.DBF”.
BP
on CD-ROM,
OCLC,
and dBase III+
375
Structurefor database:c:\dbase\order\bip.dbf Number of data records: 3 Date of last update : 02/02/88 Width Field Field Name Type DeC 1 TITLE1 Character 80 2 TITLU Character SO 3 SERTIl Character 80 4 SERTI2 Character 80 Character 50 5 AUTHOR 6 EDITION Character 10 a 7 PUBDATE Character 80 8 PUBLISHER Character 7 9 PRICE Character 10 ISBN Character 15 11 BINDING Character 10 12 LCNUM Character 10 7 Character 13 ORDNUM a Character 14 DATEORD 2 15 COPIES Numeric Character 15 16 REVBY 2 17 DEPT_CODE Character 18 DEPT Character 40 a 19 DATE Character 4 20 DLR Character l* Total ** 597
Figure 5. Structure for dBase file “BIP.DBF”.
We now have a data base of information from BIP. This information essentially confirms that the book is in print, the cost, publisher data, and what bindings are available. The author, title, series, and date of publication data for any particular book can best be obtained from OCLC, for that data base is more likely to ha-re more accurate bibliographic information than does BIP. From the OCLC file, we would command: l l l
USE READAT ZAP APPEND FROM OCLCSVS
SDF
With a program similar to the one used to create the BIP file, we generate a file called OCLCDBF (Figure 7). Instead of locating field names in READAT, we find OCLC field numbers. When a desired field is encountered, the data to the right of the number is saved as a memory variable. The subfield markers and other control characters are located and removed by storing the data minus the control characters in a second variable, which in turn is used to replace the blank field in the OCLC.DBF record (Figure 8). It now becomes possible to create a file containing information from both BIP on CDROM and OCLC in the same record. Each record in the data base has fields that are identical to chosen fields from OCLC and from BIP records, along with some that we want to create that are unique. Remember: All this programming can be made invisible to the user, once it has been written and tested. All the dBase routines can be linked together in a single dBase program and DOS batch files can assist in initiating dBase. One could combine the BIP and OCLC files by JOINing them into a third file, or as we chose to do, UPDATE one into the other. To do so, the fields in both files that are to be updated must be similar. In this case, the BIP file is updated from the OCLC file. This means that the BIP file will use the Author, Title, Publication date, Edition, and Series title from
376
M. J. THAYER
. type bip.prg set path to o:\dbase\order set heading off set safety Off clear a11 se3.e a use readat sap append from export.doc sdf sele b use bip sele a go top star ’ ’ to mtitle1 star ’ ’ to mtitle2 stor ’ ’ to qau#or star ’ ’ to mtltle1 stor ’ ’ to mtitle2 star I I to mpublisher stor ’ ’ to mpubdate star ’ t to mbinding stor ’ I to mprice star ’ 1 to misbn do vhil -not. eoff) do case case substr(data,L2,16)=1Tltle’ star substr(data,l9) to mtltlel ease substr(data,ll,16)=1Author’ star substr(data,lc)) to nauthor case substr(data,8,16)='P.date’ ator substr(data,l9) to mpubdate case substr(data,8,16)=‘~blisherf stor aubstr(data,lc)) to republisher ease subatr(data,l2,16)=‘Price~ ator substr(data,lc)) to mprice case substr(data,13,16)=01SBN’ star substr(data,l9) to misbn sele b appen blan rep1 title1 with mtitlel star s ’ to mtftlel rep1 title2 with mtitle 2 star ’ ’ to mtitle2 rep1 author with mauthor stor * ’ to mauthor rep1 Publisher with mpublisher stor 1 ’ to mpublisher rep1 pubdate with apubdate ator 8 ’ to mpubdate rep1 price with mprice star ’ ’ to mprtce rep1 isbn with misbn star * ’ to misbn sele a endc skip andd clear all cancel
Figure 6. dBase program for converting BP+
records into dBase.
the presumably more accurate OCLC data base (Figure 9). In order to match records from the BIP file to records for the same item in the OCLC!fde, there must be a matc~g, unique field. ISBN is the most likely candidate because it is present in both the OCLC and HP data bases and is unique to a particular book. Thus, a series of commands will combine the information from both files:
BIP on Structure Number Date
of
Field
**
CD-ROM,OCLC, and dBaseIII+ for
of
database:
data last
Field
c:\dbase\order\oclC.dbf
records: update Name
Typt
02’02kdth
Dee
1
ISBN
Character
15
2
AUTHOR
Character
3
TITLE1
Character
50 80
4
TITLE2
Character
80
5
EDITION
ctmracter
10
6
PUBDATE
Character
a
7
SERTIl
Character
80
6
SEAT12
Character
Total
377
l*
Figure 7. Structure for dBase file “OCLC.DBF”.
l l
l l
USE BIP UPDATE ON ISBN FROM TITLEl, WITH OCLC-, WITH OCLC-, EDITION, OCLC-, SERTII, SERTIZ USE OCLC ZAP
OCLC REPLACE AUTHOR WITH OCLC-, AUTHOR, TITLEl, TITLEZ, WITH 0CLC-r TITLEZ, EDITION PUBDATE WITH OCLC-, PUBDATE, SERTIl WITH WITH 0CLC-r SERTIZ
After OCLC is incorporated into BZP, OCLC can be emptied (ZAPped) to make room for new information. If a record is located in BZP and not in OCLC, the record will remain unchanged in the data base. If a record is found in OCLC and not BIP, it must be loaded into the data base: l l
USE BIP APPEND FROM OCLC
If a book cannot be found in either OCLC or BIP, it can be entered manually: . USE BIP APPEND BLANK
l
CONCLUSION With the data base complete, it is a simple matter to obtain multipart tractor-feed book order forms and set up an output program to fill them out. Four-part slips are now used instead of five, with the paper “on-order” acquisitions file being replaced by the data base. With a date field in the data base, it is possible to track the success rate of vendors and switch to a different vendor after a set period of time. dBase has the ability to access date fields and perform arguments on them (IF DATEORD > 12/12/89, THEN LIST, etc.). Indexing by vendor can offer statistics on quantities of orders by each and various accounting statistics. By using a code for departments or funds, budget statistics become available in a myriad of formats. An index by department can offer a listing of all purchases or orders by a particular department, concluding with a total dollar amount spent by that department. Individual
378
M. J. THAYER
. type wzrif.prg set path to c:\dbase\order set headingoff set safetyoff clear a11 se1e a "se readat nap appendfrom a:oclc.svssdf sele b use OClC sell?a go top stor n 11to nlau stor " " to mti stor " " to qtil stor v 'Ito mpub star " " to mpubdate do while .not. eot'() do case .or. s"bstr(data,6,8)='1 case s"bstr(data,6,8)='100' .or. substr(data,6,8)='110' 11' if "$w"$data star at("$v".data) to mem etor men-1 to nem star substr(data,l4,mem) to ma" s1ss star substr(data,l4,79) to ma" endi case substr(data,6,8)='245' If "/"$date star at("/",data)to mem stor mem-1 to mem stor substr(data,l4,mem) to mti skip If substr(data,6,8)<>'250' .or. substr(data,6,8)0'260 star s"bstr(data,l,79) to mtil else endi case substr(data,6,8)='260' star at("$b",data)to mem star men+2 to mem stor at ("$c",data)to qeml star meml-1 to stem1 star substr(data,mem,meml) to mpub stor meml+3 to meml stor substr(data,meml) to mpubdate sele b appendblank rep1 author with ma" star ’ ’ to me.” rep1 title1 with mti star ’ ’ to mti If mtll <> " It rep1 title2 with mtil star ’ I to qtil s1s.Z endi rep1 publisherwith mpub star ’ ’ to mpub rep1 pubdate with mpubdate star ’ ’ to mpubdate se1e a endc skip endd clear all CPAlICd
Figure 8. dBase program for converting OCLC records into dBase.
EIP on CD-ROM,
OCLC,
Structurefor database:c:\dbase\order\bip.dbf Numberof data records: 3 Date of last uudate : 02/02/88 Field FieldName Type ‘-W 'idth DeC 1 TITLE1 80 Character 2 TITLE2 80 Character 3 SERTIl 80 Character 4 SERTI2 80 Character 5 AUTHOR Character 50 6 EDITION 10 Character 7 PUBDATE 8 Character 8 PUBLISHER Character 80 9 PRICE 7 Character 10 ISBN Character 15 11 BINDING 10 Character 12 LCNUM 10 Character 13 ORDNlJM 7 Character 14 DATEOBD 8 Character 15 COPIES 2 NU!lleriC 16 REVBY Character 15 17 DEPT_CODE Character 18 DEPT 4: Character 19 DATE Character : 20 DLR Character ** Total ** 597
and dBase III+
379
Structurefor database:c:\dbase\order\oclc.dbf Number of data records: 9 Date of last update : 02/02/88 Field Field Name Type Width Dee Character 15 1 ISBN Character 50 2 AUTHOR Character 80 3 TITLE1 Character 80 4 TITLE2 Character 10 5 EDITION Character 8 6 PUBDATE Character 80 7 SERTIl Character 80 8 SERTIZ l * Total ** 404
Figure 9. Data from “BIP.DBF” is replaced by data from “OCLC.DBF”.
department expenditures can be analyzed for collection development purposes or to ensure an equitable distribution of budget resources between departments. The ideal scenario in which to use this application would be through the use of an OCLC M310 Workstation (a Wyse PC 286) with a 40MB hard disk and CD-ROM drive attached. With this set-up the acquisitions assistant would sit at the workstation with a stack of orders, and from a main menu which boots when the computer is turned on (there are many software packages that create menus, and they are easily written in BASIC), initiate OCLC searching and download records. BIP is accessed next from the menu and orders can be searched and downloaded. Upon ending the BIP session, records are appended to the data base-also a menu item. After choosing this option, the user is asked whether or not order slips are desired; if so, the user is prompted to load order forms into the printer. All the steps described above can be incorporated into one transparent routine. The ability to search OCLC and BIP is all the computer expertise one needs to run the system.