Main -> Support Zone -> InSite Archives -> April 1999 Issue -> Tips & Techs

InSite, April 1999
Tips & Techs  Pointers from Open SiteSearch Product Support Staff

Building a database with a sparse index
Malia Watson, Product Support Specialist

A sparse index is a kind of shortcut for speeding searches on local Newton databases. With a sparse index, a small set of related terms is placed at the top of the postings index list. By having a sparse index at the top, the search engine locates these terms quickly and doesn't need to scan the entire postings index.

First you need to define the sparse index in the database description file. Then you actually build the database with the SSDOT utilities. As you build the database using SSDOT (see instructions below), the build software pulls the values from the sparse index and groups them at the top of the postings index.

With a little planning, you can save a lot of search time.

Keep in mind

Steps Explanation
1. Start the database build with SSDOT

 Go to WebZ_root/dbbuilder/ssdot. Then type ssdot at the prompt.
2. Type "s" to set the current database

 When you are prompted to Select a registered database, type the name of the database you will build.
3. Select option 5. Advanced Options from the menu
4. Select option 1. Initialize database

 Once the database has been initialized, and you will receive the message There are completed jobs.
5. Select option 2. Convert input data to BER-formatted records

 NOTE: If you have already converted your input data into BER, skip this step and go to step 5.
6. Select option 3. Add records to database and create index terms (Pippin)

 Wait for pippin to complete processing.
7. Select option 4. Sort index terms (Sortnip)

 Wait for sortnip to complete processing.
8. Select option 5. Add index terms to the database (Rome)

 Wait for rome to complete processing.
9. Select option 6. Sort sparse index terms (Sortspar)

 Wait for sortspar to complete processing.
10. Select option 7. Add sparse index terms to the database (Sparrome)

 After sortspar completes, your database is ready to be tested.

ILL primer with Open SiteSearch
Doug Loynes, Product Support Specialist

Open SiteSearch supports two methods of transmitting ILL request: email and ISOILL. With email, a patron's ILL request is captured as an email message and sent to a specified mail address. With ISOILL, Open SiteSearch takes the same ILL request and converts the data into an encoded format to conform with ISO standard protocols (ISO 10160 and ISO 10161). The request is then forwarded to OCLC ILL Direct Request for processing.

OCLC ILL Direct Request automatically sends patron-generated requests created in your system to the OCLC Interlibrary Loan service for fulfillment. For more information about this service, see OCLC ILL Direct Request.

The mode for ILL requests is handled on a per database basis. This is not a global setting. For example, you can set email for some databases and ISOILL for others. You can also turn ILL off if it does not apply for a database.

In order to activate ILL, familiarize yourself with a few files:

IllService.ini

This is the primary file for configuring ILL settings. There are five sections in this file.

[IllServer]

Here you specify your institution's symbol, autho and password for connecting to the OCLC ILL Direct Request test and production servers. You also select one of the three ILL services available with OCLC ILL Direct Request: Direct-to-Review, Direct-to-Lender and Direct-to-Profile. Click here for a brief explanation of each service.

The changeSendTo and orderPreference options affect how the ILL request is handled if you selected either the Direct-to-Lender or Direct-to-Profile services.

  • The changeSendTo option applies only if you have lender information sent with the ILL request. Setting the parameter to true means that ILL Direct Request will search all lenders specified in the custom holdings list in addition to the lenders sent in with the request. Setting the parameter to false means that OCLC ILL Direct Request will check only the lenders sent in with the request.

  • The orderPreference option tells ILL Direct Request what to do if it encounters a lender with an invalid symbol from the custom holdings list. Setting the parameter to ORDERED means that the request ends once it encounters an invalid listing. Setting the parameter to UNORDERED means that OCLC ILL Direct Request skips over the invalid listing and continues checking the remaining institutions on the list.
[IllInfo]

In this section you specify the restrictions for fulfilling an ILL request including whether there is copyright compliance and the date the patron needs the material requested.

[EmailInfo]

The fields in this section specify where and how to send ILL email requests.

[LibraryDeliveryInfo] and [LibraryBillingInfo]

The fields for these two sections refer to constant data. Whether an ILL request is routed via email or through ISOILL, any constant data listed in either of these sections is automatically attached to an ILL request. If you choose ISOILL, you can leave these fields blank and have OCLC ILL Direct Request fill in the constant data elements based on your customs holdings profile. The customs holdings profile points to the actual constant data for an institution maintained at OCLC. However, any constant data sent with an ILL request overrides the constant data associated with your customs holdings profile.

locations.ini and loc.ini files

These files are similar to the databases.ini and dbs.ini files. The locations.ini file lists all institutions for which you have .ini files specified. The individual location files, in turn, list all the institution symbols associated with the location. If an institution has multiple symbols, list all the locations within the institution that are associated with each symbol. If only one symbol is used, you can enter the symbol in the default line.

<dbs.ini> and JaSSIServer.ini

In the dbs.ini file, you set the type of ILL request associated with the database (email or ISOILL) and set the formatting classes for displaying the ILL request forms. In the JaSSIServer.ini file, make sure that the ILL server is listed under the [ServerMngr] section.

Testing the environment

To see results of test ISOILL requests, follow the instructions from OCLC ILL Direct Request. Telnet to testenv.oclc.org port:5571. Remember to use Ctrl-C instead of the carriage return or enter key.

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