Save and Release Records

New records

A record newly created in the MDE is immediately assigned a record ID, even though the record has not entered Princeton's repository. The ID displays in both the record header in the Main Pane and the Records list in the Left Pane. For a bib record, its MMS ID starts with 99; for a holdings record, its PID starts with 22 (See Alma System Numbers).

A new record displays the badge New in its headers. You won't be able to retrieve the record from Princeton's repository by the record ID (or any other search criteria), because the record exists in your MDE only and is visible to you alone.

New bib records

The field 001 may be absent.

If it is present, the field displays a string that does not match the record ID in the header.

Bib records imported from WorldCat via Search Resources display the OCLC control number in the 001 field - it will change to the MMS ID in the record header when saved to Princeton's repository.
The menu option Record Actions > Duplicate Record produces a carbon copy, duplicating the 001 of the record being copied. The number does not match the genuine MMS ID in the header of the new record.

Certain operations are not applicable to new bib records.

The menu option View Related Data > View in Search (Ctrl+Alt+V) is grayed out. You can't execute View in Search on a record that does not exist in the repository.

The menu option Add Inventory > Add MARC21 Holdings is grayed out. You can't create a holdings record for a bib until the latter has been saved in the repository.

View in Search (Ctrl+Alt+V)

View in Search is a convenient one-click method to retrieve a repository bib record in the search results view. It pulls up the search results view of the current record that is open and in focus in the Main Pane, saving you the trouble of re-inputting search criteria for that bib - such as copying its MMS ID, pasting to the Persistent search bar, and conducting a search.

View in Search displays the version that has last been saved to Princeton's repository and does not reflect any editing you have done since.

If a bib has never been saved to Princeton's repository, the menu option is grayed out and not clickable.

New holdings records

The menu option View Related Data > View Inventory (Ctrl+I) opens a list titled Inventory in a split pane, displaying inventory that has been stored in the repository database. You can execute this funtion while having either a bib or a holdings record open.

The new holdings record does not display in the Inventory pane.

You can, however, skip the action of saving the holdings record before adding an item. When you execute the menu option Add Inventory > Add item (Alt + I), the new holdings record will be immediately saved to the repository, bringing you to the Physical Item Editor to edit the item.

Save records

There are two types of saving actions in the MDE.

Save as draft in the MDE

This is done either by the system via the auto-save feature, or manually via the menu option Save Draft (Ctrl+Alt+S).

1) Auto-save

Your editing is saved in the MDE every 30 seconds after a change is made in order to prevent data loss. Hover over icon no. 15 to see the timestamp of the last auto-save.

Your current version is visible to you alone and not reflected in the read-only Record View of repository search results.

Draft records are deleted if they have not been modified for thirty days.

2) Save Draft

You can manually execute the menu option Save Draft, which runs validation routines, saves the current version of the record in the MDE, and generates a badge Draft in the record header.

Save Draft is not necessary because of the auto-save feature.

Save Draft is not recommended. As you will see from explanations of the meaning of badges, the Draft badge is not terribly informative or useful.

Save to Princeton's repository

Use either of the two menu options below to save your editing to Princeton's repository.

Save > Save Record (Ctrl+S): The record is saved but remains in the MDE. You may resume editing it.

Save > Save and Release Record (Ctrl+Alt+R): The record is saved and released from the MDE. You are done with the record. See explanation of releasing records below.

After either operation, your lastest editing will be reflected in the repository search results view of the record.

Has the record (or its current version) been saved into Princeton's repository?

When a record is saved to Princeton's repository, the badge New disappears from its header.

When a new bib record is first saved to Princeton's repository, a 001 field is added, displaying the MMS ID that is showing in the record header.

Another new field that is generated is 005, which stores Date and Time of Latest Transaction.

When you retrieves a WorldCat record via Search Resources and perform Copy & Merge on an existing Alma record, the merged version displays a 001 value that does not match the MMS ID of the original Alma bib being overlaid. This version has not entered Princeton's repository and has yet to be saved.

In the example on the left, WorldCat record # 2000000 is overlaying the Alma bib 99122457322006421. In the merged version, the 001 field displays the OCLC control number, but, upon Save Record, will be replaced by the MMS ID 99122457322006421.

Release records

Release Record means to release a record from your Metadata Editor when you are done with editing it. It is separate from deleting a bib/holdings record.

One of the Alma features that differ from Voyager is that multiple users cannot have the same record open for editing simultaneously. When you bring a record into the MDE, it is checked out to you. This prevents multiple users from modifying the same record at the same time and overriding each other's changes.

If you have saved your editing to Princeton's repository, other users can retrieve it by searching the repository and view a read-only version of the record. Until you release the record from the MDE or until the system force releases it X number of hours after you exit the Editor, others cannot modify it.

Note that closing (icon no. 17) a record from the Main Pane of the MDE merely minimizes the record. It remains listed in the Left Pane.

There are three ways to release records. In addition, the system force-unlocks records that are in your MDE after a certain number of hours has elapsed since you exit the Editor.

Save and Release Record

Save > Save and Release Record (Ctrl+Alt+R): Performs two operations: 1) Save the record to Princeton's repository + 2) Release it from the MDE, in one step.

Release Record

Record Action > Release Record (Alt+Shift+R): Release the record. You are required to confirm the release, but the pop-up window does not inform you whether or not there are unsaved changes in the record you are about to release.

Release all

Release displayed records in list (Icon no. 7 in the Left Pane): Release all records in the list. The pop-up window reminds you that unsaved changes will be lost.

You can combine this release button with the text filter box (no. 5 in the Left Pane) to release filtered records only.

Unlock by the system

Alma is configured to unlock all records that are in your MDE X number of hours (the default is 1 hour, which is subject to adjustment for the best practice) after you have exited the Editor. Other Alma users will then be able to bring those records into their MDE for editing. However, a crucial difference between records released by you and those unlocked by the system is that, in the latter case, records disappear from the list in the Left Pane only in a need-based manner.

If no other user has brought them into their MDE, the unlocked records remain listed and ready to be revived (i.e., reloaded from repository) for editing at a mouse click, saving you the extra step of repeating your search and bringing them in from repository search results once again.

Recommendation: Save and Release Record (Ctrl+Alt+R) or Save Record (Ctrl+S) to Princeton's repository before you leave the MDE for an extended period of time. This ensures your latest editings are preserved whether or not another Alma user retrieves your record after timeout

An unlocked record you reload from the repository might not be identical to how you have left it. For example, the system runs overnight batch jobs which may have updated the record.

Badges

Badges display in both the record header in the Main Pane and the Records list in the Left Pane.

This is a new record, which has not been saved in Princeton's repository. The MMS ID or holdings PID that displays in the record header exists in the MDE only, not in the repository.

The last time a saving action has been performed on this record, it is Save Draft - saving in the MDE only, as opposed to saving to Princeton's repository.

The badge Draft does not inform if a record exists in Princeton's repository or not. It is merely indicative of the nature of the last saving action.

Because of auto-save, your current version is almost always preserved in draft in the MDE - whether the badge is present or absent.

Even if you never execute Save Draft though, you may still see the Draft badge appearing in the record header. When you retrieve a WorldCat record via Search Resources and execute Copy and Merge, the system immediately executes Save Draft on the merged version - as opposed to waiting for auto-save to take effect in 30 seconds. You still need to press Save Record or Save and Release Record to cement the WorldCat record in Princeton's repository.

This record has been pushed from repository search results. The version as is showing in the MDE may differ from the version in the repository, though, depending on the editing you have done.

View Versions

Menu option View Related Data > View Versions: View and restore a previous version that has been saved to the repository.

Previous versions

The version counter starts after the first time that a record is saved. Selecting View Related Data > View Versions opens the MD Editor in split screen mode, displaying the Versions tab in the right pane.

Version: 1 indicates that the record has had its first modification. For subsequent modifications, the version number increases.

Current version

In order to see the timestamp and the cataloger ID of the current version, hover over the icon, which is available -

in the MDE header bar (icon no. 16 History of the record), and
in the read-only Record View from repository search results

Current version information as displayed in the MDE:

Same information as displayed in the Record View:

Click on the icon to display the name associated with the PU ID. This is the person who has last touched and saved the record.

No versions

View Versions concerns only previous versions you can restore.

If no modification has been made to a record and saved to the repository, then there are no previous verisions to display - and there is nothing to restore.

The wording "no versions" can be misleading. What it really means is "no previous versions were found." What you have opened is the initial and only version of the record.

All the legacy records migrated from Voyager into Alma will display this alert until a modification has been made and saved to the repository.

The Restore Record Version privilege is enabled for the Cataloger, Catalog Manager, Catalog Administrator, and Cataloger Extended roles.

Sources

Ex Libris Knowledge Center > Navigating the MD Editor Page

Ex Libris Knowledge Center > Configuring Other Settings (Resource Management) - working_copy_lock_timeout

Ex Libris Knowledge Center > Metadata Editor View Versions