Aleph reporting and statistics

Libraries using Aleph often need to obtain reports about their system activities (circulation history, acquisitions activity, bibliographic lists, etc.). This page describes the reporting services offered by OIS.

OIS reporting services for Aleph users include mediated reporting (staff request reports from OIS) and ad hoc reporting (reports generated by staff from their desktop using the Aleph Library Reporting System). OIS also publishes regular reports and statistical counts in selected areas (circulation activity, Accounts Payable activity, etc.).

About mediated reporting
About ad hoc reporting using the Library Reporting System
Cognos Reportnet
Circulation activity
Harvard Depository Tracking Reports
Accounts Payable batch status reports
Budget reports
Fiscal year tech services activity
HOLLIS public catalog activity

About mediated reporting

Mediated reports are requested from an OIS intermediary and are run either on a scheduled or on an as-needed basis. In most cases, mediated reporting data comes from the Library Reporting System.

To ask a question about mediated reports or request a report from OIS, submit a mediated report request from the Aleph Support Center. Report requests must specify the selection criteria (characteristics which all records in the report will have in common) and report type (statistical list or list of bibliographic records).

About ad hoc reporting using the Library Reporting System

The HOLLIS Library Reporting system allows users to report on data that is extracted from Aleph and stored on a dedicated reporting server. The data can currently be accessed in one of two ways: using a desktop query tool (currently the last version of BI/Query), or by using the web-based Cognos Connection application.

What does the Library Reporting System contain?
The Library Reporting System is a data warehouse that includes acquisitions (orders, arrivals, subscriptions, encumbrance transactions, invoice headers, invoice lines, invoice transactions), budget report data, items, circulation event history data used for statistics, loans and loan history, reserves courses, reserves bibliographic data, and selected tags from the MARC bibliographic and holdings data.

When is the Library Reporting System available? How often is data in the warehouse refreshed?
The Library Reporting System is available every day from 8am to 7pm. There are no evening restrictions on Friday and Saturday nights. Library Reporting system data is refreshed by 8am every business day.

Bi/Query
Installation of BI/Query on library staff desktops will be restricted at this time to library staff that have used the pre-existing HOLLIS Distributed Reporting system. See more about this installation restriction in the announcement of ad hoc reporting availability. Installation is performed by your local IT support staff.

Cognos Reportnet
Beginning in November 2006, designated library staff will be able to access a set of pre-defined reports using the web-based Cognos Reportnet system. The HOLLIS Library Reporting System training program offers an introductory class to the web-based Cognos Reportnet system and demonstrates how end users can view, print, save and email pre-defined reports. The Library Reporting System training is open to staff who have been identified by their library as reporting system end users. Only those who have been designated as reporting end users may register for training classes at this time. Pre-registration is required. See the Library Reporting System training registration page to see the list of available dates, documentation and to register for a training session.

Circulation activity reports

OIS is generating statistics on daily Aleph circulation events in each Harvard sublibrary. These statistics are reported in basic and advanced formats; results are emailed in two separate daily messages to Circulation Managers. These are also available as canned reports from the Library Reporting System. Circulation events for all sublibraries are included in each report. If you have a question about circulation activity reports, send a request via the Aleph Support Center at

http://hul.harvard.edu/ois/systems/aleph/forms/f-supp-circ.html .

Basic circulation statistics: a text file containing columns for date, sublibrary, circulation event, and event totals. Each daily basic report contains counts of events sub sorted by sublibrary.

Advanced circulation statistics: a text file containing columns for date, sublibrary, circulation event, item status, patron status, and event totals. Each daily advanced report contains counts of events sub sorted by sublibrary.

Go to:
FY2006 circulation statistics
FY2005 circulation statistics
FY2004 circulation statistics
FY2003 circulation statistics

Harvard Depository Tracking Reports

OIS and HD staff have created two tracking reports to ensure that both new accessions and items returned to HD after being recalled by the owning library are coded correctly in Aleph. These reports should be reviewed daily, and items should be created/corrected as necessary. The descriptions of the reports, and urls to the index pages for each report are listed below and are posted at:

http://hul.harvard.edu/ois/systems/aleph/docs/HD_Tracking_Reports.pdf

Accounts Payable batch status reports

Accounts Payable (AP) sends a weekly Batch Status Report that provides a cumulative view of Aleph electronic payment batches received and released by the University's Accounts Payable office. OIS distributes this report to library financial staff by email and makes an archive of these reports available on the web.

Go to AP batch status report archive

Budget reports

Aleph Budget reports show allocations, expenditures, encumbrances, cash balance and free balance in summary form for all budgets. The reports are produced twice a month, usually on the 2nd and 4th Friday. Availability is announced via HULINFO. If you have a question about budget reports or want to request access to them, send a request via the Aleph Support Center at

http://hul.harvard.edu/ois/systems/aleph/forms/f-supp-acq.html

Fiscal year tech services activity

OIS distributes annual statistics for selected Aleph technical processing activities. These are announced via HULINFO and archived on the web. In addition, libraries can use the Library Reporting System to generate these and other activity reports on an ad hoc basis.

Go to:
FY2006 activity statistics
FY2005 activity statistics
FY2004 activity statistics
FY2003 activity statistics

HOLLIS Public Catalog activity

For fiscal year 2003 (July 2002 through June 2003), a very brief summary of HOLLIS Public Catalog activity appears in the Statistical Supplement accompanying the LDI Annual Report (Review of Year Five).

No annual statistics of HOLLIS Public Catalog use were published for fiscal year 2002 because of the mid-year cutover from HULPR to the new Aleph Library System.

Public Catalog use statistics for FY2001 and earlier are still available (see below).

Note that FY2001 was the last year for statistics on use of the original HOLLIS Catalog.

• FY96 HULPR & HOLLIS public catalog summary statistics