SUSHI Resources

Start here: Ex Libris Product Documentation Managing COUNTER-Compliant Usage Data

(The content is also available as a video: Managing COUNTER Compliant Usage Data - ExLibrisLtd)

Also refer to: COUNTER SUSHI | Project Counter and Section 8.0 SUSHI for Automated Report Harvesting | Project Counter

Additional Guidance | Tips and Tricks for Specific Vendors

Question	Answer
What information do I need to set up a SUSHI account and where do I get it?	It is best to contact the vendor to obtain the credentials that you need to set up a SUSHI account. SUSHI credentials will always include a rest URL. In addition, vendors can use a requestor ID, a customer ID and an API key. Ex Libris provides a SUSHI Vendor Lists and this information is available in Alma too but I recommend verifying the information with the vendor. You also need to know which reports are being provided by the vendor and decide which ones you'd like to harvest. To look up the SUSHI credentials for a vendor in Alma, use the search feature in the SUSHI Account box.
How many SUSHI accounts do I need to set up for each vendor?	In most cases, only 1 SUSHI account is needed to get COUNTER 5 reports for each vendor but multiple SUSHI accounts are needed for vendors that have different SUSHI credentials for different platforms or different accounts. For COUNTER 4 reports, you need one SUSHI account for each type of report you need to harvest. (You can use the duplicate feature to set up multiple SUSHI accounts for COUNTER 4 reports using the same SUSHI credentials.)
Do SUSHI account names need to be unique for each report?	I recommend having unique SUSHI account names if you have multiple SUSHI accounts under the same vendor. For COUNTER 4 reports, it is okay if the account names are not unique since each account is set up to collect only 1 type of report. Note that you cannot change the SUSHI account name after you've created and saved the SUSHI account.
How do I test the SUSHI account that I've just created?	To test the account information for the SUSHI account, use the Test Connection button on the top of the SUSHI Account Details page. To test each report type, use the Test Connection with Response. Note that Test Connection does not test all fields required to SUSHI harvest a report so I recommend using Test Connection with Response on at least one of the reports to fully test your SUSHI credentials. If Alma is not able to establish a connection using the information for the SUSHI account, Alma will display an error message: . If Alma was able to establish a Connection using the account information and get a response back from the server, it will return a json file. Be sure to open the json file and review the content as an error message can be returned within the json file. The list of SUSHI-defined error codes can be found here: Appendix F: Handling Errors and Exceptions \| Project Counter (Note that the Test Connection with Response function is not available for COUNTER 4 reports.)
What happens the first time the SUSHI harvest job runs after I set up an account?	You can have the SUSHI harvesting job run to harvest reports just for a specific SUSHI account by selecting the Harvest Now option next to a SUSHI account. In addition, the SUSHI harvesting job can be scheduled to run on a regular schedule for all SUSHI accounts. Refer to Managing COUNTER-Compliant Usage Data for details on how to schedule this job. Whether you choose the "Harvest Now" option or the scheduled job option. the SUSHI harvesting job will try to harvest the most recent 12 months of usage reports that are available when the reports are being harvested for the first time for each SUSHI account. To harvest usage reports that are older than 12 months, use the Custom Harvest option which allows you to specify the months for which the usage reports should be harvested.

Tips and Tricks for Specific Vendors

More information is available in the Ex Libris Knowledge Center

How do I know if there are usage statistics available for a specific resource?

It is best to contact the vendor and ask if they provide any COUNTER reports. To be COUNTER-compliant, vendors need to be providing COUNTER 5 reports but a few may still be providing COUNTER 4 reports.

Below are some of the lists of vendors that provide COUNTER reports and/or SUSHI API but again the latest information on a vendor will be available from the vendor.

Ex Libris Knowledge Center list of SUSHI-Certified Vendors
Project COUNTER Register of COUNTER Compliant Publishers & Vendors
AALL Legal Database Usage Reporting
EBSCO's Usage Consolidation Service User Guide - Designed for EBSCO's competing product, so it doesn't always work for Alma, but contains advice and updated SUSHI information for many publishers

How do I set up SUSHI for Elsevier (Science Direct, Scopus, Engineering Village)?

Refer to the SUSHI section of Usage Reports - Librarians | Elsevier. It includes a link to an application form which Elsevier requires to get SUSHI services from Elsevier. The application may require the Alma Platform IP Range (for Ex Libris Chicago and Seattle data centers) which can be found here: Technical Requirements for Alma and Discovery Implementation - Ex Libris Knowledge Center.

The SUSHI credentials might be slightly different for each of the Elsevier product. Thus, you will have to set up a new SUSHI account for each one. If you need additional help, you can open a support ticket with Elsevier (Home - Admin Tool Support Center.)