Statistics Function (Sierra)
- Tammy Poquette
The Statistics function is a tool for creating a wide range of statistical reports about your database.
You operate Statistics by creating database queries that can be saved, re-run at any time, and scheduled to be run at specific times. Depending on the number of records examined by the query, this process may take from a few minutes up to several hours to complete. When the results of a query are ready, you can view reports based on the data in a spreadsheet-like presentation, and reformat reports based on your needs.
Table of Contents
Statistics offers two main methods of operation, selected by clicking the tabs on the left of the main window:
Saved Queries
From this tab, you can create a new query, run a saved query, schedule a saved query, or edit a saved query. Note that this is the tab presented when Statistics first starts.
Results Files
From this tab, you can view query results and create reports based on these results.
Create Lists Function
In a consortium, it is best to create a review file of your items.
Go to the Create Lists function.
You can do a general review file looking at all your items in your agency, or locations.
Statistics Function
Go to Statistics from the drop-down Function menu.
Click on New Query.
Note: When a query is run, the server acquires a user license for the process. The user license is released after the data has been accumulated. Scheduling queries to run during low-demand hours can ease the impact on user license usage. User license for a scheduled query is taken at the moment when the query begins. If a license is not available at the scheduled time, the Results File for that query shows "No License" in the Status column. The query can be restarted manually at any time.
This will bring up the Query Editor box.
The first thing you want to do is to enter your Query name. Type the name in the Saved Query Name box, and click on the arrow to copy that information into the Results File Name box.
Change the dropdown from Range to Review.
Use the dropdown arrow to find your review file. Tip: For large review file numbers, type in the 1st number of the review file repeatedly until you find it.
Query Type - Periodic Report
Enables you to limit the query to only those records in which a selected date field matches a specified range of years, quarters, months, or days. The date fields available in the Choose a date field drop-down menu depend on the record type selected. The options in the Date Range menu depend on the Time Units selected. For years and quarters, you can choose either fiscal or calendar year for the range.
Under Query Type, picking Periodic Report allows you to choose either Fiscal or Calendar Year.
Pick the Time Units. Choose the number of periods and Starting Year.
If you choose Months, you will need to pick the number of periods. You will also need to put in the Starting Month and year. It will default to the month you are running the report.
You can pick what information you want to see in this report from the dropdown menu.
Click Run the Query!
You will get this warning that the query has not been saved. Click OK.
You will get the message warning, “Do you want to accumulate in the background?” Note: If Fastest Accumulation is checked, Statistics does not update the Results File display for this report until all data has been accumulated. This can result in much faster completion since the system does not have to periodically send fresh display data to the client. Even if this option is checked, you can stop accumulation at any time and view the results gathered so far (the display is updated whenever accumulation is stopped or suspended).
Managing Query Processes
Depending on the complexity of the query and the number of records chosen, it can take anywhere from a few minutes up to several hours to complete processing a query once it is started. If a query process is still gathering data, the results file entry for that query indicates "in progress" in the Status column. The following tools manage the data accumulation process for a selected "in progress" results file:
Suspend - temporarily suspends data accumulation for a selected results file. The user license associated with the data accumulation process is still held while the process is suspended. The process can be restarted with the Resume tool.
Resume - resumes data accumulation for a selected results file if it was halted with the Suspend or Stop tools. Data accumulation resumes at the point at which it left off.
Stop - stops data accumulation for a selected results file. Unlike the Suspend tool, the user license associated with the data accumulation process is released. The process can be restarted with the Resume tool, at which time a new user license is taken.
Go to the Tools drop-down menu to find the Suspend, Resume, and Stop options.
Your result file will be the last file at the bottom under the Results Files.
You can View Report or View Query.
The View Query will show the search you used. You can print the query. You can also view other member’s queries, and print them.
You can pick which information you want to see by changing the Select Report. You can Hide Rows, Hide Columns, Unformat, Export, Print or Close this report. Using the Extract Query button will save your search.
Query Type – Field Statistics
Gathers statistics on all fixed-length fields in the specified record type. When viewing the query results, you can select which fixed-length fields to include in the report.
Under Query Type, picking Field Statistics allows you to pick the Fastest accumulation.
Click Run the Query!
You will get this warning that the query has not been saved. Click OK. You can always save it later.
You will get the message warning, “Do you want to accumulate in the background?” Accumulating in the background may use another Sierra session.
Your result file will be the last file at the bottom under the Results Files.
You can View Report or View Query.
The View Query will show the search you used. You can print the query. You can also view other member’s queries, and print them.
You can pick which information you want to see by changing the Select Report. You can Hide Rows, Hide Columns, Unformat, Export, Print, or Close this report. You can see the price, renewals, overdue, etc about your items. Using the Extract Query button will save your search.
Query Type – Cross Tab
Enables you to choose a fixed-length field for the vertical axis of the report paired with a different fixed-length field for the horizontal axis. The two fields are selected with the Vertical and Horizontal drop-down menus in the Cross Tab Field Selection window. The system does not enable the selection of the same field for both axes. You can specify whether the field code (e.g., "main''), field meaning (e.g., "Main Library"), or both appear with the Cross Tab horizontal title display option in the login's Statistics settings.
Under Query Type, picking Field Statistics allows you to Cross Tab Field Selection.
The Cross Tab Field Selection gives you drop-down options for both the Vertical and Horizontal fields.
In this example, we are going to use ITYPE and LOCATION.
Click Run the Query!
You will get this warning that the query has not been saved. Click OK.
You will get the message warning, “Do you want to accumulate in the background?”
Your result file will be the last file at the bottom under the Results Files.
You can View Report or View Query.
The View Query will show the search you used. You can print the query. You can also view other member’s queries, and print them.
You can pick which information you want to see by changing the Select Report. You can Hide Rows, Hide Columns, Unformat, Export, Print or Close this report. You can see each location for your library or libraries. Using the Extract Query button will save your search.
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