Basecamp discussion regarding usage data migration

Owned by Karen Schlesser (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Apr 22, 2017 by Nikki DeMoville (Unlicensed)
9 min read

This is the Basecamp thread regarding 360 Counter migration as well as some related questions for USTAT campuses.

360 Counter / Intota Assessment migration

Posted by Nikki DeMoville on Feb 17

Hi,

I'm asking this on behalf of the Analytics WG and also as a 360 Counter / Intota Assessment customer.

I am hoping for updates and/or confirmation on the following:

  • Timeline for migrating usage data
  • Amount of usage data to be migrated (is it still 3 years?)


Current customers of Serials Solutions 360 Counter with DRS service have a particularly complex situation with regard to migration:

  • Currently configured SUSHI harvests in 360 Counter gather data monthly
  • DRS service gathers data twice per year -- in February for Jul-Dec and in August for Jan-Jun
  • At least two DRS customers have contracts that expire in June 2017.  These customers will end up with data that is current through a variety of dates--most recent month for SUSHI harvests, December 2016 for DRS loads, or older than December 2016 in cases of DRS load failure (due to account, platform, etc. changes)


Serials Solutions customers urgently need to know when their data will be migrated so they can do the following:

  • Know when to start setting up SUSHI in Alma without creating duplicate data loads or waiting till the last minute
  • Know how much additional usage data to extract from 360 Counter to reload into Alma, before contracts expire
  • Decide how to handle DRS failure cases for the most recent (February 2017) load cycle
  • Plan for manual data extract/upload for Jan 2017 forward for platforms handled through DRS
  • Extend their contracts with Serials Solutions if necessary


Thanks!

Nikki 
CPSLO

Tim Strawn 
Bump up please

Posted on Feb 23


Dolph Chaney 
Hi Nikki & Tim: we are continuing to pursue answers to these and other related questions with the Migration Team but do not have more detail to share at this time.  We recognize and understand the importance and time-sensitivity of the answers to your questions.

Posted on Feb 23


Dolph Chaney 
Firstly, to your two main points:

  • Any migration activity that is performed for cutover will be coordinated within the overall May / June window, depending on which of the 3 groups you are in.  The specifics day-by-day are still being scheduled.
  • I confirm that the 3 years of data is still what would be migrated from 360/Intota.


I also have an update specifically on the point of whether subscriptions need to be extended for 360/Intota products.  Regarding the immediate concerns about subscription terms, we won’t turn off access to 360/Intota unless you send us written notice of cancellation.  As long as the subscription is still active (i.e., we haven’t received a cancellation notice), the DRS (manual Counter report uploads) and SUSHI (automated harvests) services will continue.  

As to the rest of the details, I am in the process of finding out the scope of what is included in your development partnership with us, which will help determine what we should plan for migrating 360/Intota and what will need to be done as SUSHI work in Alma.  I will let you know about this when I know more.


Posted on Feb 24

Nikki DeMoville 
Thanks, Dolph--this is good news.  I look forward to hearing the additional details.

Posted on Feb 27

Dolph Chaney 
Hi Nikki (and other 360 Counter customers - SLO, Fresno, Long Beach, and SDSU): I have updates on what will need to be accomplished to get your usage data to Alma.

First of all, access to 360 Counter w/ DRS is confirmed through the go-live date and beyond.  Fresno, Long Beach, and SDSU are renewed through end of 2017.  For Cal Poly SLO, we have confirmed that you will retain access to 360 Counter w/ DRS until a switch-off date of Oct 1st.  Below, I will clarify what is (and isn't) provided by that access.  

Migration services for usage data, unlike the 360RM and 360Link data, were not part of the scope of the 360 development partnership agreement, made in 2016.  In order for usage data migration to have been accomplished, work would have needed to be done in the kind of time frame we have had for the 360RM and 360Link data, with the Migration Team providing test load(s) and review periods.  Therefore, usage data will not be migrated by our Migration Team from 360 Counter w/ DRS to Alma. 

Instead, what you will load into Alma is actually the usage report from each vendor, not the consolidated reports that 360 / Intota provides.  This will keep anything from being lost in translation between how 360 handles COUNTER vs. how Alma does (it’s all COUNTER-compliant, but each product implements the standard differently). 

So, what the overlapping access to Alma and 360 Counter will allow you to do is prepare any reports you need using 360 Counter, if time necessitates it while you're still getting usage data into Alma and learning how to perfect your reports in Analytics.

  • For non-SUSHI vendors, the Alma process will involve more manual work -- you will need to go proactively to the provider site and download the reports for uploading to Alma.
  • For vendors who use SUSHI to allow harvesting, this is straightforward and requires little intervention once initially configured in Alma.  
    You can begin SUSHI configuration now in your vendors (I note that SLO has already done so), until your Alma config freeze.  Vendors are retained at cutover, so this work will still be in place when we deliver you Alma with your final data.


The process is documented in our Online Help (https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/Alma_Online_Help_(English)/Acquisitions/090Acquisitions_Infrastructure/010Managing_Vendors/Managing_COUNTER-Compliant_Usage_Data) and the following recordings:

* COUNTER Report Management in Alma Functionality and Rollout

* COUNTER Report harvesting and Uploading in Alma

* Advanced topics in Analytics

Posted on Apr 5

Tim Strawn 
Thanks for that update Dolph

Posted on Apr 5

Nikki DeMoville 
Hi Dolph,

Thanks for the update (and the extension to October 1 for SLO). 

I'd like to clarify this:

  • Instead, what you will load into Alma is actually the usage report from each vendor, not the consolidated reports that 360 / Intota provides.
  • For non-SUSHI vendors, the Alma process will involve more manual work -- you will need to go proactively to the provider site and download the reports for uploading to Alma.


What I think you are saying is that Ex Libris won't be migrating any COUNTER data for us, and that it will the responsibility of each 360 Counter customer to 

  1. configure SUSHI feeds for current and future usage data and
  2. download all of the older usage reports from either 360 Counter or the vendor sites and manually load them into Alma


I understand that this is the cleanest method and will prevent the data duplication issues that we've been concerned about, but I want to clarify that this indeed the case, as we had been told before, more than once, that Ex Libris planned to migrate 3 years of usage data for us, as they did for Ustat customers.  

I want to be absolutely certain I understand this before our WG sends out instructions to the relevant campuses because the proposed method, if I understand it correctly, will represent a very substantial amount of work for these customers.

Thanks!

Nikki
CPSLO

 

Posted Apr 14

Dolph Chaney 
Hi Nikki - yes, your understanding is correct.  The 4 affected campuses will need to download the older usage reports from those vendors who aren't SUSHI-compliant for load into Alma, and (if they haven't already done so like you have) be setting up their vendors for SUSHI where applicable.  

Staff can, if they wish, begin loading usage data into Alma as soon as their institution has sent their acceptance notification for technical services (cutover plan step 3.1.8), approximately 6 days prior to go-live.

Posted Apr 17

Nikki DeMoville 
Hi Dolph,

Thanks for the clarification, and another question if you'll bear with me:

Does the 6 days-before-go-live restriction apply only to the 360 Counter customers, or do USTAT libraries need to wait as well?  What about the remaining campuses that weren't using either product?

Thanks!

Nikki
CPSLO

Posted Posted Apr 17

Dolph Chaney 
Thanks, Nikki - regardless of what product their prior usage data is in, they can begin loading it into Alma as soon as the tech services data acceptance notification has been sent.  In our Thursday functional call, I'll be going over other tasks that are possible to be done between acceptance and go-live -- in short, anything that does not involve users, loans, requests, and fines/fees can be worked on in Alma as soon as you send your campus's data acceptance notification.

Posted Posted Apr 17

Nikki DeMoville 
Thanks, Dolph!

Posted Posted Apr 18

Nikki DeMoville 
Hi Dolph,

Back for a few more clarifications...

I actually haven't set up many SUSHI vendors in Alma yet due to the ongoing work with regard to our 360 RM migration.  Am I correct in my understanding that the vendors created by the 360 RM migration will NOT match or overlay any existing vendors in Alma?  If this is the case, it sounds as though it would be better for Cal Poly SLO and SDSU to wait until after the 360 RM migration and use the access provider vendors created during that process rather than creating any additional vendors now solely for the purpose of setting up SUSHI.  I assume that this would not be the case for Fresno and Long Beach, which don't have the additional migration to consider.

Regarding the data brought in as we set up and test SUSHI:  I see that when I set up a successful SUSHI vendor, I can harvest approximately the last 12 months of data.  Am I correct in understanding that our SUSHI configurations will stick during migration, but any data harvested during this time will be wiped?

If the above is true, and our SUSHI-harvested data is wiped, then it appears that we will be able to use SUSHI to gather data approximately back to June or July 2016, and will need to manually load anything older than that.  Is this correct?

If all SUSHI-harvested data is wiped, how will this affect the former USTAT campuses?  Also, what will the status of their migrated data be with regard to Analytics?  Is everything wiped in Analytics or not?  Or is certain data (e.g. USTAT usage) going to be reloaded for them?  I'm trying to get a clear sense of what usage data will be available post go-live for the following groups:

  • USTAT-migrated campuses
  • 360 Counter campuses
  • Campuses using neither of the above systems


Thanks for your patience!

Nikki
CPSLO


Posted Apr 19

Dolph Chaney 
The key principle is that all data goes away but configuration stays.  

  • Vendor records stay (keeping in mind that SLO & SDSU have vendors coming via 360RM migration vs. ILS migration as you mention).
  • Usage data that is loaded prior to cutover, like all data in Alma prior to cutover, is wiped out and needs to be recreated (either by a migration process or other input).
  • Analytics reports will be looking at post-cutover data, though the reports themselves will be in place.
  • The USTAT procedure for your cutover will need to be clarified within parties at Ex Libris.  In general, the May 2017 release of Alma is when USTAT customers' data is being transferred to Alma, but since you were among the early test customers (...thank you again!) and are beginning cutover while on that release, we will need to check and get back to you on how that will work.  
    An additional note from the February 2017 release notes (https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Release_Notes/0099_2017/110_Februa… 
    "Existing institutions currently implementing Alma, that are already testing their UStat data in Alma but are not "going live" before the May release, can continue to 
  • use UStat until they "go live." These institutions will have their UStat COUNTER data and subscriber information imported to Alma during the Alma cutover process. 
  • Note that any COUNTER data added to Alma during the implementation process will be overwritten by the UStat data at that point."
  • Your SUSHI vendors would need to confirm the timeframe that they provide in their SUSHI feeds.  We would harvest whatever they provide.

Posted Apr 19


Dolph Chaney 
Update on USTAT re cutover: there are two options, depending on which system has been used since January 2017 (when the copy from USTAT to Alma was done) as the system of record for COUNTER usage data reports.

  1. If customers have continued working in USTAT since January as the system of record, then we can coordinate an additional final copy from USTAT to Alma during cutover (per the Release Notes quote above).
  2. If, however, the former USTAT customers have not continued working in USTAT since January 2017, then the uploaded reports will be retained at cutover along with the rest of the vendor data and there's nothing further to be done.


Please let us know which option applies.

Posted Apr 19

Nikki DeMoville 
Hi Dolph,

Are you asking us to choose?  If so, as a group, or campus-by-campus?

What I'm hearing is that SUSHI set up hasn't gone smoothly for every campus and many are relying on USTAT as a back-up, so option 1 may be more appropriate.  

However if you are asking for a very specific migration choice on behalf of all CSU USTAT campuses, please let me know so this can happen at the appropriate level and with appropriate input.

Thanks!

Nikki
CPSLO

Posted Apr 20

Dolph Chaney 
Hi Nikki - Yes, there is a choice between these two options.  

As to why, it's simply that we did not provide a very specific guideline on whether campuses should completely stop work in USTAT, though if they had done so that would be fine.  There is nothing more to read into this about the actual experience anyone is having -- we actually haven't heard anything good or bad from anyone re usage data management since the data was moved over to Alma in January.

It would be ideal if all campuses had the same position on this, but if some campuses do have different needs than others, please let us know and we will advise on how we can accommodate.

Posted yesterday at 3:48pm

Nikki DeMoville 
Thanks, Dolph.  We'll ask the USTAT campuses which option is best for them.  We need to make sure their most complete data sets are retained.

--Nikki

Posted Apr 21

Nikki DeMoville 
Hi Dolph,

I've sent out an email asking all 13 USTAT campuses to respond to me within the next week, choosing Option 1 or Option 2.

Thanks,
Nikki

Posted Apr 21