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InSite, May 1999 Software Release Update |
Preparing for the Open SiteSearch 4.1 Release
(Part 1 of 2)
Kara Byerly and Malia Watson, Open SiteSearch Product Support Specialists
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Introduction
The Open SiteSearch team is completing development on the Open SiteSearch 4.1 release that will be distributed in July 1999. This release includes new functionality and enhancements that continue to add to the usability and power of the Open SiteSearch toolkit. While software development works on making these additions and changes to the new software backward-compatible, you can complete some preplanning tasks to make the integration of your existing environment into the 4.1 version more straightforward. To aid you with this planning, the Product Support team has put together a general checklist of tasks which you can complete now to make this transition as smooth as possible for your institution. We have also included enhancement and functionality descriptions to assist you with the project planning necessary to implement the features included in this release. Coming Next! The June 1999 InSite issue includes Part 2 of this article to offer you additional planning tips for integrating your existing environment into the 4.1 software. General ChecklistOpen SiteSearch Product Support strongly suggests that you complete
the following tasks to facilitate the Open SiteSearch 4.1 upgrade:
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Component: WebZ
Description: The Open SiteSearch 4.1 release includes a new record formatting design. This new formatting design allows you to define formatting elements, such as labels, trailers, fields, and subfields, in .ini files. In most cases, the new approach to record formatting allows you to edit the formatting .ini files that OCLC provides or create new formatting .ini files without changing Java code. However, this formatting approach allows users who need to make special considerations for a few databases to extend the Java code if necessary. You can then reference the new code within the formatting .ini files.
Integration: Open SiteSearch 4.0.x formatting classes still work in the 4.1 release. The WebZ software uses the appropriate .ini file or Java class specified in the database configuration file to format database records and automatically recognizes whether to use the 4.0.x or 4.1 functionality. To use the 4.1 design, you need to upgrade each of your existing formatting classes to the new formatting design and reference the appropriate files in the database configuration file. To provide backward-compatibility, the 4.0.x directory infrastructure remains intact, while the 4.1 formatting files/classes are visibly divided into a new area.
Affects: Java formatting classes, individual database and database group configuration files, new formatting configuration files, and the directory structure
Knowledge Needed: You will need the following to upgrade to the 4.1 formatting design:
Additional Bib-1 Attribute Type Support
Component: WebZ
Description: In 4.0.x, WebZ supports the Z39.50 use and structure Bib-1 Attribute types for remote database indexes, allowing you to define each of these types in the database configuration file. Open SiteSearch 4.1 provides additional Z39.50 Bib-1 Attribute support to give you the ability to define relation, position, truncation, and completeness for each remote database index. This enhancement expands the communication between the WebZ client and remote servers to take advantage of the complete Z39.50 attribute set for more precise searching. As with the use and structure attribute types, remote databases must also support relation, position, truncation, and completeness attributes types on a per index basis to take advantage of this software enhancement. Contact your database vendors to find out what attribute types and values are supported for each database index. Refer to Attribute Set Bib-1 (Z39.50-1995): Semantics for additional information about Z39.50 Bib-1 Attributes.
Integration: The database configuration files included with the 4.1 release are configured to support the additional Bib-1 Attribute types wherever possible. If you would like to configure additional databases to take advantage of WebZ's complete Z39.50 Bib-1 Attribute support, you need to verify what attribute types and values each remote database index supports with the database vendor. You also need to configure these attribute types and values in the appropriate database configuration files on a per index basis.
Affects: Individual database configuration files
Knowledge Needed: You will need the following to configure the Bib-1 Attribute types:
New Version of the Out-of-the-Box Interface
Component: WebZ
Description: The 4.1 release introduces two new concepts in relation to the Out-of-the-Box
Interface (OBI):
Starting with this release, OCLC will assign the OBI a new version number whenever there are significant changes to the interface. The 4.0.x frames-only interface is referred to as version 0, and the 4.1 interface is referred to as version 1. OBI version 1 offers frames and non-frames interfaces that are almost identical to the version 0 interface. In addition to the features already demonstrated with OBI version 0, the 4.1 OBI demonstrates the merge/de-duplication and VoAS functionality.
Benefits
Integration: Similar to the new formatting design, the two OBI versions (4.0.x and 4.1) shipped with this release have two separate directory structures underneath the <WebZ_root>/htdocs directory. Thus, you can move your 4.0.x customized interface into its own directory as well. You can select which interface version to display in the JaSSIServer.ini system configuration file. If you use an interface based on the 4.0.x releases and want to use certain aspects of the 4.1 functionality, you will need to configure and display this new functionality in your existing interface.
Affects: HTML files, ORG.oclc.gadgets package, and the directory structure
Knowledge Needed: You will need the following to integrate new features of the 4.1 OBI:
Merged Result Set and Record De-duplication
Component: WebZ
Description: The Open SiteSearch 4.1 release includes new functionality which, if configured, offers the ability to request merged and/or de-duplicated record results display.
Merged Result Sets
When a patron performs a cross-database search within the 4.0.x OBI, WebZ displays the results broken down by database. A patron must select each database individually and can only review or navigate the search results of one database at a time. With Open SiteSearch 4.1, you can configure the search results of cross-database searches to display as a single result list sorted by database. This functionality allows patrons to view and navigate the search results of multiple databases at the same time. Patrons can identify which database a record belongs to by reviewing the database name in the brief and/or full record results display.
Record De-duplication
OCLC has also implemented the Z39.50 Duplicate Detection Service for the 4.1 release. This functionality is called de-duplication, and it utilizes the merged result set functionality. This Z39.50 service allows the WebZ software to detect and display duplicate records in the search result set as a composite record that can contain information from the duplicate records, as well as the representative record. This functionality is implemented in the 4.1 OBI as a single record with holdings information for the duplicate records when a patron submits a cross-database search. If a single database contains duplicate records, you can also configure WebZ to detect and display duplicate records for the individual database.
Integration: The 4.1 OBI demonstrates the merged result set and de-duplication functionality. The 4.1 software is configured to support the merged result set capability in the ZBase.ini configuration file upon installation. You can turn de-duplication "on" in the individual database or database group configuration files where you want to use this feature. You also need to modify your HTML files to utilize this functionality because these new features directly affect the search results display and record navigation. If you do not want to use merged results or de-duplication, you will need to turn this functionality "off" in ZBase.ini.
Affects: 4.1 OBI interface changes (HTML files and ORG.oclc.gadgets package), formatting design, ZBase.ini configuration file, and individual database and database group configuration files
Knowledge Needed: You will need the following to use the merged result set and record de-duplication functionality:
Vocabulary-Assisted Searching (VoAS)
Component: WebZ
Description: In the 4.1 software, WebZ can use Vocabulary-Assisted Searching (VoAS) to assist patrons with finding resources relevant to their queries and improving searching precision. The VoAS
functionality identifies search terms related to a patron's query using one of two methods: 1) a thesaurus database, or 2) a sample result set from the actual database. If WebZ has access to a thesaurus database, the system displays a list of relevant
terms and "see" references. If WebZ does not find the terms in the thesaurus, or if there is no thesaurus available, WebZ searches the actual database's keyword index using the term submitted by the patron. WebZ then displays a list of subject headings
extracted from the interim result set to the patron as possible search terms (or a sample result set). Note: The number of records returned to WebZ in the sample result set is configurable, as is the field from which the unique terms are extracted. Integration: The 4.1 OBI demonstrates the VoAS functionality. If you choose to integrate your existing interface into the 4.1
environment and want to implement this functionality for your current databases, you need to either purchase and configure access to a thesaurus database, or configure WebZ to create a sample result set from the actual database. You also need to make changes
to your interface search screens to utilize the VoAS functionality. Affects: Database configuration files, formatting classes/files, and HTML files
Knowledge Needed: You will need the following to implement the VoAS functionality in your environment:
Web Server Upgrades/WebZ Extension Enhancement Component: WebZ Description: Open SiteSearch 4.1 offers WebZ
Extensions for the following new versions of Web servers that WebZ currently supports:
In version 4.1, the WebZ Extensions for the
Web servers listed above and the 4.0.x Web server versions now conform to
RFC 2396, Uniform Resource Identifier: Generic Syntax. To conform to this URI, or URL, syntax standard, each WebZ
Extension includes the user sessionid AFTER the question mark ('?') in the URL. Open SiteSearch 4.0.x versions place
the sessionid BEFORE the question mark in the URL, which does not comply with the RFC 2396 standard accepted within the
Internet community. Integration: You may upgrade to one of the Web servers listed above, or you may
also continue to use the same Web server as long as you upgrade to the WebZ Extension for your server in version 4.1.
You also need to update your HTML files to ensure that all of the URLs referenced in your files support the syntax described
above (where the sessionid appears AFTER the question mark). Affects: HTML files, WebZ Extension, Web server Knowledge Needed: You will need the following to upgrade your existing Web server and/or WebZ Extension:
Record Builder and Access Components Component: WebZ, Database Builder
Description: The following functionality and enhancements will be made to Open SiteSearch
Database Builder. These enhancements do not affect WebZ licensees who have not purchased Database Builder. Record Builder Access Component With the addition of Record Builder, the WebZ Access component is enhanced to expand
the authorization capabilities necessary to allow staff members to manipulate metadata records. Under 4.0.x, the Access component allows for search access control for databases.
In 4.1, the Access component uses an additional database schema to allow system administrators to define staff members' privileges about a resource (e.g., view, create, update, or delete a metadata record).
Integration: You need to upgrade your existing Access component database schema to the 4.1 schema to use Record Builder. You can still extend the
capabilities of the Access component in the 4.1 release as you have done with the 4.0.x release to work with new or existing Access clients. You may also want to consider how your institution can use the community information
Record Builder application or build another application to add to or edit an existing local Newton database. Affects: Local database configuration files, Access component database schema and configuration, and a new Web interface for Record Builder
Note: The Record Builder interface is made up of its own HTML files and is separate from the OBI files. Knowledge Needed: You will need the following to use the Record Builder component and Access component enhancements:
SSDOT Online Local Database Updates Component: Database Builder Description: The 4.1 release enables
institutions to perform local online database updates using the SSDOT interface to access the database building utilities without stopping the WebZ system. Although patron access to the database is blocked during the update process,
this feature allows WebZ to immediately provide patrons with access to the updated database information as soon as the update is complete.
Database administrators no longer need to stop and restart the WebZ system to access the updated database information. This feature is also
used to support the Record Builder component functionality. Integration: You need to move your existing local databases into the 4.1
environment to perform local online database updates using SSDOT to access the 4.1 enhanced database building utility programs. Affects: SSDOT and database building utility programs
Note: Open SiteSearch 4.1 for UNIX includes both the Apache 1.2.6, which shipped with the 4.0.x releases for UNIX, and Apache 1.3.6. The software automatically defaults to use the 1.3.6 version of the server rather than
the previous version of Apache shipped with the 4.0.x releases.
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