This is a catch-page for useful info about SFX. SFX-related files may be found in DRMS(Q):/SFX. For more information,

• SFX documentation may be found at the ExLibris Knowledge Center.
• Help with SFX terms is available at CARLI's SFX glossary.

UMassAmherst Library SFX URL is https://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/umass

Also See:

• SFX Cron Jobs
• SFX Down
• SFX Renewals
• SFX sid List
• SFX Targets - Activating
• SFX Update Procedures

Elsevier Science Direct Autoload

• The Elsevier Autoload is scheduled to run the morning of the 1st of the month. A report is automatically generated and emailed to the DRMS account. On the first, check it to make sure it has run successfully.
• IF THE LOAD FAILS it will show in the text of the email. They send a zipped folder with the results of the load. Download them and look to try and find the issue. You can also put in a case with Salesforce to see if the problem is with ExLibris and not Elsevier.
  • Also be sure to check the 5C ERM List Serv.
• The issue after the March 2019 release was with the encryption of the token. The token can be found in the Elsevier Admin. Login with the credentials in CORAL and on the right hand side click on “University of Massachusetts” then “UMass Amherst” then in the main menu “Trusted Partners.” The token is the institutional Token under [EHR] EXLIBRIS-SFX&ALMA
  • The token is entered in the Elsevier SD Autoload Config file in the Unix File Manager area of the SFXAdmin. It is also entered in the autoload tab of each of the target services for Elsevier.
    • The token can also be found in the Config file as plain text.

SpringerLink Autoload

• The SpringerLink autoloaders are scheduled to run on the 5th (journals) 6th (books) of the month. A report is generated for each and will appear in DRMS.
• IF THE LOAD FAILS it will show in the text of the email. They send a zipped folder with the results of the load. Download them and look to try and find the issue. You can also put in a case with Salesforce to see if the problem is with ExLibris and not Springer.
  • Also be sure to check the 5C ERM List Serv.
• The issue after the March 2019 release was with the encryption of the token. The token can be found in the Springer Admin. Login with the credentials in CORAL but make sure you have the correct account! There is a drop down at the top of the page, change the organization to University of Massachusetts Amherst UMASS. The token is on this page.
  • The token is entered in the Springer Autoload Config files in the Unix File Manager area of the SFXAdmin. It is also entered in the autoload tab of each of the target services for Springer.
    • The token can also be found in the Config file as plain text.
• The Springer Journals autoload does not include previous titles. Bob Boissy explained that this is because the SpringerLink platform does not have seperate web pages for previous titles, they appear as Alt-names of the most recent title. The previous titles do not appear in the autoload.
  • He is looking into whether or not they could include the previous titles and entitlements in the KBART for the autoload with linking to these current titles so that the names would at least be access points to the content.
    • Currently we are getting around this by keeping several older journals targets activated with display logic.
    • Books are not affected since they don't have title changes.

Re-Running Autoload

• Load the Unix Server and log In
• da
• ./server_admin_util
• 8 Import/Export (not by sfxglb41)
• 4/6/7 (depending on Elsevier or Springer)
• Run the Autoloader
• Choose “Y”
• Choose “B”
• Leave institution name empty for default
• Choose “Y”
• Let run and check for success. Manually running the autoload will not trigger an email.

Ejournal Search A-Z link https://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/umass/journalsearch

• SFX Object types: MONOGRAPHS including Book, CD, Dissertation, Document, Manuscript, Proceeding, and Report will not display on the A-Z list. SERIALS including Journal, Conference, Newspaper, Series, Transcript, Wire, and Database do display on the Journal Search A-Z.
• Journal Search A-Z can be configured from the SFX Admin through Configuration>Journal Search and A-Z List (including CitationLinker). Language may be changed through Translation and Display, also in the Configuration section of SFX Admin. This includes language for custom URLs at the top of the page, which IRM staff would need to translate or else they will appear in English.

Reporting broken links is an option presented on the SFX menu after a user has clicked through a full text target. Reports are sent to dbhelp and ExLibris who does not seem to monitor them. Setting up emails to receive broken links is done at SFXAdmin - Configuration - Menu Configuration - Menu Design - General Configuration.

OPs in Open Access & Free Targets break all the time. You can let them slide. Many of our databases (specifically ones like EBSCO and ProQuest) are also constantly shifting their content. For the same reason why the can be ignored in the Text Report, ignore them here, we simply could not spare the work hours to track these things down. The bigger issue is to look for patterns of big breaks. (Did you get five Wiley Broken Links? There's probably an issue there) Individual breaks can often be because of bad metadata. (incorrect DOI, ISSN, etc) Check the SID as well in the Open URL. If they are all the same that could be another pattern. However, a one-off with an SID for Web of Science will probably also just mean bad metadata by the indexer platform.

Two or more targets may be compared using the Collection Tool found on the SFX Admin. Use “Compare packages/sets of packages”. Choose “All” if you wish to include deactivated titles. Although there is often a warning that the report will take a while, usually if the request is reasonable, it is not worth scheduling a report.

Use the Access tab in the CORAL Resources module to track SFX targets used for eresources. Also track whether content is activated in SFX in the Data Integration note, including individual subscriptions.

The Dataloader is used for uploading multiple changes to object portfolios in an existing SFX target or to add titles to locally created target.

• Prepare a file. Begin with a spreadsheet, perhaps an export of the target you wish to update (using a Custom export allows exporting note fields). The first column is usually print ISSNs (in order); print are used because ExLibris tends to more thoroughly include print ISSNs than eISSNs. The next column on the spreadsheet might be local date thresholds (as they would appear in the object portfolio edit screen), “ACTIVE” or “INACTIVE” in every cell of the column to activate or deactivate titles, target parsers, parse params (jkeys), or notes (general, authentication or internal).
• Save the spreadsheet with only the necessary columns as a Text (tab delimited) file.
  • Be sure to remove any titles to the columns, it doesn't affect the upload but will register as an error.
• After selecting “DataLoader” in SFX Admin>KBTools, choose the target in “Select the Target + Service”. You may be prompted to drill down to a specific target under a publisher name.
• Set up “Column 1 (Primary Key)” as ISSN if that is your first column, and other columns as appropriate.
• Choose to add, update or remove portfolios.
• A KBART file may also be used.
  • File should still be saved as .txt tab delimited
  • Leave the first row with the column headers
  • Ignore the two options for Parse Param and Coverage if all you are doing is batch activating OPs
    • Refer to the SFX General Users Guide for more information
• If you want to remove local changes in a batch form, create a data upload and use “NULL” is a value. It will overwrite and delete local changes.

Creating and maintaining date thresholds SFX provides a tool for composing local thresholds in the object portfolio edit screen.

• Create a local threshold if the dates per our licensed agreement with the publisher/vendor differ from ExLibris global thresholds.
• In the object portfolio edit screen, click “+ Add local” on the “Threshold (global)” line.
• Click “Compose” and add “First Publication” and “Last Publication” information. UMass practice has been to use only years for full year content.
• OR set up “Embargo/Moving wall” dates (see below).
• No other fields need to be filled in on the Compose screen.
• Dataloader may also be used for lists of titles that need local date thresholds in a target (see Dataloader section).

Reporting incorrect date thresholds to ExLibris

• Aggregator date thresholds are maintained by automated vendor loads to ExLibris.
• ExLibris will accept requests to change date thresholds only for content that is not maintained by publishers or consortia, e.g. MISCELLANEOUS EJOURNALS titles.
• Only NERL can submit date threshold change requests to ExLibris for their package targets.

Embargoes and moving walls: Use the composer tool to set up an embargo. For a 1 year embargo use the text below. NOTE: do not use “==” which does not display an embargo on the menu.

• In the edit screen, click “Add Local” beside Threshold (Global), click “Compose”, fill in First Publication (year at least), click down arrow beside “Embargo/Moving wall”. For a 1 year embargo choose “greater than or equal to”, choose time (“1 year” ago). For other time increments, choose one from the drop down and edit afterward.
• Resulting date threshold should look something like this:
  • $obj→parsedDate('>=','2007',undef,undef) && $obj→timediff('>=','1y')

Split date thresholds: Use “||” to separate the runs. For example, holdings from 1999-2002 and 2008 would use the text below. This displays as “Available from 1999 until 2002, Available in 2008”.

• $obj→parsedDate('>=','1999',undef,undef) && $obj→parsedDate('⇐','2002',undef,undef) || $obj→parsedDate('==','2008',undef,undef)

Redundant targets displaying on SFX menus can be reduced by using Display Logic (SFX Admin>Configuration>Menu Configuration>Display Logic. Rules are set up to reflect Target Precedence on the SFX menu (sort services config file). Rules are cascading so rules toward the top of the list take precedence. Thresholds may be set up to exclude sources (such as SFX Admin or EDS) or to only display if date threshold is the exactly the same (“same_threshold”).

Check the left hand column to make sure that the rule you are looking at is active or not. (It will say YES or NO.)

From the SFX Admin, choose the Export Tool to download lists of object portfolios (titles) in a target. Choose All, Active or Inactive. You may also download a list of all active targets (used for sort services config checking) or locally created object portfolios, among other choices. Choose “Custom” if you wish to include note fields or customize the download.

UMLinks buttons URLs are supplied to vendors and publishers who embed them in databases, indexes, journals and systems.

SFX UMLinks image URL is http://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/umass/img/azlist_ver3/sfx.gif

BANNER LOGOS are uploaded in SFXAdmin-Configuration-Menu Configuration-Menu Design-Simplified Template and Mobile Configuration-Menu Design.

SFX banner header: https://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/umass/img/simplified_template1///banners/custom/umlibtxt.gif

SFX Mobile banner header: https://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/umass/img/simplified_template1//mobile/default//umlibtxtsmall.png

Banner Logos link to https://www.library.umass.edu/

Images are also located at DRMS:/SFX/Images.

Contact Library Systems with a support ticket for customizations.

For customizations of full screen and mobile menu headers, UMLinks buttons, multi-object menus and more, see the SFX users guides.

Language changes are made in the “Translation and Display” sections found at SFX Admin>Configuration. This section contains multiple tabs for changing Journal Search A-Z, CitationLinker, SFX menus, relation types, and public names for service targets.

Some targets require flag values to enable the functioning of open URLs. For information about specific target L/P codes see the SFX Target and Alma E-Collection Configuration. L/P values should be added to CORAL Access notes (if there are many databases see main resource, such as EBSCOHost Academic Search Premier).

Past problems have been:

• L/P edit boxes may mysteriously disappear. Go to the target service edit screen, open a local parse param, put in a blank space, submit, go back in and clear local parse param, and the L/P edit box should return.
• L/P flags may appear to be in place but may need to be re-entered after an update to the target.

The Menu Design tab is located at SFX Admin>Menu Configuration. We use the “Simplified Template and Mobile Configuration.”

• Menu Design is where the UMass Amherst Libraries logo is uploaded to replace the SFX Banner.
• Service Precedence. The “Basic” group of “Chosen Service types” should be: getFullTxt, getSelectedFullTxt, getMessageNoFullTxt, getHolding, getDocumentDelivery.
• Target Precedence (the order of targets displaying on the SFX menu). To order targets on the SFX menu, add and remove targets from the ordered list either manually or by importing an edited sort services config file (see below). ALWAYS SAVE AFTER USING THIS SCREEN!

Here are steps to request that a resource be added to SFX. Do not create a NERS request if you would like an update of an existing resource. Instead open a Salesforce case.

• Log into NERS (see CORAL/ExLibris). More information can be found at el-una.org.
• Check that no request for the resource exists already in NERS (Request search with limit by Product = Content and Status = Votable).
• Add a new Content request by providing the following helpful information.
  • Name of the Database, Collection or Platform.
  • Name of the Content Provider
  • Link to the database or platform
  • Provider contact information (if available)
  • Short description why this content is important and beneficial to the community
  • Flag the request as Regional if needed and select the appropriate group from the list

An email from SFXList notifies when SFX potential targets or software is available for customer voting. See SFX in CORAL, access page has login. There is more info on the SFX Routine Maintenance Page as well

Notes can be added to the target service or object portfolio general notes field for public view. For direct linking to publisher sites as a workaround to target problems, format like this (view in wiki edit mode):

Reach an error message? Try searching <A HREF=“https://www.sciencedirect.com/browse/journals-and-books?contentType=JL”>Science Direct ejournals.</A>

Add a General Note in the object portfolio edit screen if it will be helpful to users. Example: “ Content may not yet be available.” Add an internal note if appropriate. Here are formats used.

• General Note fields. Use these notes:
  • Current issues may not be available.
  • Content may not yet be available.
  • Some full text content may not be available.
  • Some years are not available.
  • Additional content may be available.
  • We are working on restoring access.
• Internal Note fields. Use these notes:
  • PA to (dates)
  • Prev title (to…title optional)
  • Accessible (dates)
  • Free for (dates)
  • OA
  • Continues (title)

MARCIt records are no longer being used but this list of object types is still useful. The following object types are considered serials (and generated MARCIt records).

• Journal
• Conference
• Newspaper
• Series
• Transcript
• Wire
• Database (as object)

The following object types are not considered serials (and did not generate MARCIt records).

• Book
• CD
• Dissertation
• Document
• Manuscript
• Proceeding
• Report

Lists all files for which symbolic links to global SFX files have been broken. SFX UNIX side.

• da; ./server_admin_util; 2=Filesystem maintenance; 8=Check for broken symbolic links; Save output in file=N; Recreate symbolic links?=N
• NEVER recreate symbolic links here!!! UMass custom files are included.

Lists targets which lack activations at the target, target service, or object portfolio level. SFX UNIX side. Report is saved in the dbs/scratch directory.

• da
• ./server_admin_util
• 6=Diagnostics
• 6=Report Incomplete Activations
  • Note: Disregard SCENES IN THE LIFE OF HARRIET TUBMAN
  • Note: Springer deactivated targets retain active ops until the Springer Autoload has been fully tested.

See the Scholarworks Title List to check for new titles.

Ignore

• Heritage & Society (Taylor & Francis Hosted)
• ICHRIE Johnson & Wales Case Study Competition (Defunct)
• Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education (Subscription Based)
• Proceedings of the Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning (Conference Proceedings)
• Proceedings of the Society for Computation in Linguistics (Conference Proceedings)
• Warring States Papers (Defunct)

See SFX users guides.

When target precedence on SFX menus needs a general update, use the sort_services.config file and activate by wizard.

• Start with the incomplete activations report. (See Above)
• Export active targets using Export Tool (Bottom drop down option.)
• Navigate to SFX Admin/UNIX File Manager/config/sort_services.config. BEFORE you start, make a fresh backup of the list using the “C” button. Copy and paste the contents into an excel spreadhseet to compare. Leave all the non-target language and notes
  • This config file is organized by most reliable publishers, lesser reliable publishers, aggregators and databases, newspapers, ebooks, open access and free, and target and menu services other than getFullTxt. Do not include bX.
• Check the lists against each other. Remove the inactive Targets, change any names as they arise. Preserve the existing order as best as possible, and check CORAL or Aleph if there are new targets so you can decide where to put them.
  • Once everything is accounted for, copy and paste the new list with all the language that came with it into the current sort.services.config file and click save.
• Go to SFX Admin > Menu Configuration > Menu Design > Simplified Template and Mobile Configuration > Service Precedence – take a snip copy of “Chosen service types” (do not include bX or use getRecommendation for bX), which should be: getFullTxt, getSelectedFullTxt, getMessageNoFullTxt, getHolding, getDocumentDelivery. Make sure these remain when process is finished.
• SFX Admin > Menu Configuration > Menu Design > Simplified Template and Mobile Configuration > Target Precedence. Run Import Precedence Wizard.
  • You may have to click next to actually get to this screen.
  • Uncheck all but config/sort_services.config_ AND config/basic_grouping.config_
    • It takes the changes you made in the config, no upload required.
  • SAVE ON THE LEFT
• Check sample changes on SFX menus.

The chrons run on the 14th to capture the previous months statistics, although the day of the month has no bearing on the stats. Jack from SFX says “SFX Statistics Queries are run against the 'Offline' tables, so the 'Min date' and 'Max date' for the Offline Stats table will give you the current range of available statistics date.”

• ex. on 20xx-07-02, the Stats saved are for 20xx-06-29 to 20xx-07-01
• Check the instructions for monitoring the stats table at the Weekly Update page

As of Fall 2018 we run Queries 2,3,4,5,6,8,10,11,12 on the 14th of every month, and add in 14 & 19 for Calendar and FY stats. The stats for the calendar and fiscal year should be run as close to the first of the month as possible as there is a moving wall of one year which archives older statistics

• To manually run the statistics, navigate to the SFX Admin > Queries > and begin selecting queries.
  • Always total by Year
  • When available, choose Top 100
  • #5 & 11: Choose all Sources
  • #10: Choose all Targets
  • Change to Specific date range of 1/1/20xx-12/31/20xx OR 7/1/20xx-7/1/20xx
  • Leave the defaults for the third row of choices
  • Change format to plain text and delivery to email, and enter the DRMS email
    • Click out of the open text box and then click “Submit Query”

Click submit query. A second window will open that will cycle for a while and then let you know that the email sent successfully. You can close out this window without affecting the query and move on to the other chrons. You cannot submit a new chron until after the previous results are delivered.

• Take the data and format it in the same way as the monthly stats files and save them to the DRMS drive under SFX > SFX_Statistics > 20xx Statistics

Send support cases to Salesforce.

As of 2016, dbhelpers are focusing on getting articles to patrons, not reporting metadata problems unless it is worth the time. General guidelines (with plenty of exceptions):

• Report to SFX: Problems with linking (not metadata), SFX functionality, requests to update a target, questions about platform changes and targets, etc. ExLibris is often not interested in metadata problems because they are relying on publisher/vendor data to inform targets. The exception is individual subscriptions, especially in the MISCELLANEOUS EJOURNALS or association targets like Highwire. Do not report metadata problems for databases or NERL targets (contact publisher or NERL to request they send updated files to ExLibris). For journal packages, use best judgement.
• Requests for new SFX content can be done through ExLibris or ELUNA:
  • ExLibris request or vote: https://ideas.exlibrisgroup.com/forums/574345-content
  • NERS request or vote (see logins for voting): https://el-una.org/working-groups/content/ners-content-request-faq/
• Requests for new SFX functionality:
  • ExLibris request or vote: https://ideas.exlibrisgroup.com/knowledgebase/articles/690945-ex-libris-idea-exchange-faq
  • NERS request or vote: https://el-una.org//working-groups/ners-enhancement-process/
• Report to publisher/vendor: Important metadata problems (not single article, supplement, or issue), problems with web sites or title lists, etc.

Add any extra email addresses to support case “Additional emails” section at the bottom. Sara C. at MHC is interested in cases that affect them.

If we have installed any patched parsers, which are now supplied by the update, you will need to reconnect the symbolic link so we get future updates to the file:

• Login to SFX instance UNIX-side as instance user.
• Go to the appropriate directory for the file you wish to relink (e.g. “tp”) for target parsers and move to the appropriate subdirectory (e.g. “cd filename”)
• Copy the current file for backup (e.g. “mv filename filename.bak” creates backup)
• Reconnect the link using the appropriate path (e.g. for SFX ver.4.1 “ln -s /exlibris/sfx_ver/sfx4_1/sfxglb41/lib/Parsers/TargetParser/Directoryname/filename”)
• To check if symbolic link is restored, “vi filename”, “N” when asked if you want to break symbolic link, “:q!” to quit without saving.
• Restart Apache. Type apachectl restart OR go to the ./server_admin_util menu and restart the Apache instance.
• Example if JSTOR is filename.
  • tp
  • cd JSTOR
  • mv JSTOR.pm JSTOR.pm.bak
  • ln -s /exlibris/sfx_ver/sfx4_1/sfxglb41/lib/Parsers/TargetParser/JSTOR/JSTOR.pm
  • Restart: da, ./server_admin_util, 1=Start Stop Services, 8=Instance Apache Restart, q=quit, exit.
• See p.19 of the SFX System Administration Guide for instructions on restoring symlinks.

AutoUpdate: Usually we want AutoUpdate checked so that ExLibris maintains the target. If AutoUpdate is checked, local target service parser and parse param, as well as local object portfolio parser and parse params, can be changed by ExLibris during an update. Do not check AutoUpdate when we want our local information to remain intact (e.g. ILLIAD), or because we have made changes to the parser (e.g. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses) either long term or temporarily.

AutoActive should be checked if we have access to all items in a target and want ExLibris to manage activation. We do not want AutoUpdate checked if we partially activate a target.

Proxy should be checked if we want to run linking through EZProxy. We do not proxy open access or ebrary.

Linking parser problems.

• On SFX menu, use right-click, “View Page Source” to see OpenURL. This OpenURL incorporates metadata sent from source to SFX and, through the SFX parser, creates SFX menu.
• To view the URL sent by SFX to the target landing page, set up Debugging first. Go to SFX Admin > Troubleshooting > Debugging. Use “Debugging in TARGET SCREEN” and after entering ONLY YOUR IP ADDRESS, click to “on”. Click target on SFX menu and find the URL at the bottom of resulting page. Remember to restore Debugging to “off”.

Everything below is no longer managed manually by UMass.

Chron Job set up for cleanup of files from the OAI Repository table Monday mornings

• After notification that a successful harvest has occurred or every month or two, clean the OAI_REPOSITORY table.
  • q (if continuing from above)
  • da
  • ./server_admin_util
  • 5 (Statistics)
  • 9 (Clean OAI_REPOSITORY table)
  • 1 (Delete all OAI_REPOSITORY table records)
  • y (erase all records in table OAI_REPOSITORY)
  • q
  • exit

ExLibris is doing this now, appears to only hold 1 week of files.

• Web side: SFX Admin>Administration>UNIX File Manager>dbs>scratch
• DO NOT DELETE: Sessions Directory! Recent e_collection and MARCit files! Institutional holdings file (Google Scholar/WorldCat holdings)!
  • Leave several months in scratch folder.

This seems to be automatically cleaned out as of 2016.

• Web side: SFX Admin > Administration > UNIX File Manager > Export

— Primary contact: Jack Mulvaney