Sierra Field Mapping

Owned by Ashley Sneesby, created
Last updated: Aug 19, 2021
8 min read

This documentation describes how Pika uses mapping information in conjunction with the Sierra API to determine where Pika should fetch specific item data from.

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Sierra API and Pika interaction

The Sierra API extract has two processes. 

  1. Fetching the MARC data generated by Sierra (can only get 100 records an hour).

  2. Many calls are made to fetch the information that Pika uses to create a MARC record file.

The Sierra API Item Field Mapping information is used to tell Pika where specific item data will be found within the API responses.

Sierra Field Mapping is needed because the subfield indicators in the API calls are often different than the indicators in the Sierra export profile for the same data points.

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Sierra Field Mapping in Indexing Profile

Click on the Indexing Information tab, and the Indexing Profiles link. (See Pika Indexing Profiles)

Limit the Name to ILS.  Click Edit under Actions.

Go to the bottom of the page to the Sierra API Item Field Mappings (Sierra Systems only) section. 

The following fields are related to the item record.  These are the Sierra variable fields values.  The bulk of the work will be to figure out the mapping of these fields in Sierra. 

The BCode3 Subfield is used by the Sierra API extract. This field will always remain the same in the API, so it does not need to be displayed in the Sierra API Item Field Mappings (Sierra Systems only) fields. The BCode3 Subfield code that is used in the indexing profile will let Pika know where to put the value from Sierra in the Sierra Record/Bib level Fixed Fields Tag. The BCode3 can be found in the indexing profile Suppression Settings (ILS profile only) drop down menu contains Item Level Suppression Settings and the Bib Level Suppression Settings drop down menus. 

The Record Settings stores the Sierra Record/Bib level Fixed Fields Tag.  This field will always remain the same in the API responses, so it does not need to be displayed in the Sierra API Item Field Mappings (Sierra Systems only) fields.

The Sierra API uses the indexing profile value for the library systems Material Type Sub Field  (matType).

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Determining Sierra Field Mapping Values

Sierra variable field values can be determined using Sierra API interactive documentation called Swagger. 

Go to Pika Configuration and Account Profiles. 

The URL for Sierra is needed.  One way to get that information from Pika is to use the Patron API URL (this example is displaying the IP address), removing the port information (in this case :4500 ) followed by /iii/sierra-api/swagger/index.html. 

So the resulting URL would be http://192.245.61.175/iii/sierra-api/swagger/index.html

You will need the client_key and the client_secret.  

Go to the items : The Item API section.  Click on the Get button for the Items id. 

Each line has a definition explaining what each one will accomplish. 

You will need a live bib record that contains the data to verify for this process.  Usually, it is better to use serial records for verification (as they will typically contain all the call number fields used for an item).  You will need the item id without the “.i” and last digit (check digit).  Go to the Parameters section to enter the item id.  For the fields section you will use the codes from the Item section listed above the Parameters.

Do not enter spaces when filling out the form. Once the id and fields are filled out, click on the Try it out! Button.

The fixed fields describe most of the regular subfields for the item record. You can scroll to see all the information about the record.  The fixed field labels are used by Sierra. The item’s fixed field data will be used to build the item record tag subfields of the MARC file used by Pika.

For the fixed fields, Pika will use all the settings listed in the Item Tag Settings (ILS profile only).

The variable fields need special handling. If you just want to look at the variable fields, you would limit your field to just varFields.  Each variable field has a fieldTag. 

Variable fields: “field tag” is used to find the call number.  The tag should correspond with the information in item record.  

Sometimes the letters do not always match exactly when comparing them to the Sierra API Item Field Mappings, so there is a difference from the MARC record versus the API. Marmot’s Pika Export Fields shows the mapping after export.

To find the corresponding field tags go to the Call Number Settings under the Item Tag Settings (ILS profile only) tab.  The Call Number Settings show the call number prestamp, call number, call number cutter, and the call number poststamp.  When compared to the item record in export MARC, those fields match.

The next fields that are important are the URL and Volume.  Field tag v will list the information for the volume field.

The Item Call Number Field Tag will be different for different Sierra systems.  The Item Volume Field Tag will usually be the letter v.  

Here is an example of the call number prestamp (tag d), call number (tag a), and cutter (tag b) in Sierra, but when the records get exported, Pika will change the prestamp (s), call number (a), and cutter (r) based on the Call Number Settings for the display in the 989 field. 

The rest of the item record call number subfields will be represented differently in the MARC record and the API. You will have to match them up.  All the values in the Sierra API Item Field Mappings represent what is in the API.  This is the map for reading the API.

Here is an example of an item record that has the call number prestamp (tag d), call number (tag a), cutter (tag b), and a call number poststamp (e) in Sierra, but when the records get exported, Pika will change the prestamp (s), call number (a), and cutter (r) based on the Call Number Settings for the display in the 989 field.  However, since the Call Number Settings in Pika do not list a poststamp, it is not displayed in the 989 field.     

The Item URL Field Tag and Item eContent Descriptor Export Field Tag are the last two fields in the mapping.  You will have to populate the Item URL Field Tag for everyone who has ILS eContent item record URLs.

Under Item Tag Settings (ILS profile only) and the Call Number Settings are the eContent Descriptors and Item URL field information.  Marmot Export Fields shows the mapping after export.

Here is an example of field tag g and u in Sierra, and in the 989 field.

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