Aleph Version 16 Task Group

Minutes, 091504 meeting

Topic 1 - Additional Forming Activities

Group members shared personal styles and assumptions of team participation. This discussion surfaced the following: group members are balancing pressing non-task-group responsibilities with responding to task group emails so we must make clear indications of urgency and deadlines in task group email messages; group members realize that our different institutional work environments may foster different styles of information sharing and decision-making. Several of the group members are trying to complete work on the ERIC Task Force during the Aleph testing Phases and all are primed to begin testing.

Topic 2 - Securities/Authorizations/Permissions Testing

The task group considered the matter of how much investigation of securities will take place during Aleph v.16 testing. While systematic testing of the various levels of different module authorizations would be desirable, the group acknowledged that the time available for testing may only support investigation and remedy to problems that surface in the process of testing functionality. John Coogan (UC) has chaired the cross-functional permissions group in the past and is most knowledgeable and vigilant about Aleph securities issues. The task group wants to add John to the Phase I testing effort to track and highlight permissions problems.

There are various outstanding securities issues in v. 15, such as institution and testing of proxies. The group discussed the possibility of proposing a post-upgrade task group to address the array of outstanding securities/authorization/permissions issues.

Topic 3 - Review List of Stuff Not There in Test/Prepare for Friday Release

Jean enumerated various outstanding problems, some of which may be resolved this week. Problems include,

• Acquisitions permissions do not block access to other institutions’ data, including budgets and check-in lists
• Advanced searching limit by location doesn’t work for some locations; phrase search and adjacencies problem
• Batch loads not tested
• Not all reports have been tested in ITD, especially the ad hoc reports. Most of the overnight reports are ready for testing.
• Absence of investigation into automatic generation of summaries from holdings (not a v. 15 functionality)
• WebPac sort limit raised from 800 to 1000 but response limit falls from 9999 to 1000
• Crashing client problem

Version Check should work for updating the v16 client during testing (without affecting v15 client).

Topic 4 - Review Timeline

Testing timeline was slightly adjusted to accommodate the need for a longer Phase I (2 ½ weeks instead of two weeks) and to change the category Send out release notes… to Preparation for Phase II testing. The group acknowledged that for each Phase of testing, participants won’t be testing during the initial days but will be orienting themselves to the client. Phase I testers will assist Phase II testers as much as is possible. Jessame will remind testing coordinators on Sept. 24th to compile lists of known problems for Phase II release to inform COIs and Campus Contacts. MAItest will be available through December so staff can do training whenever they want before cutover. Campus contacts or testing coordinators should be sure to warn an ITD systems librarian if training or testing is scheduled so that ITD can insure that server maintenance won’t happen at that time.

Topic 5 - ITD's Role

A systems librarian will monitor each COI reflector, may participate in some group testing (SWAT session, e.g.), and will communicate to testing coordinators when there are any significant changes, known down times, etc. Subgroups should include testing of printing functions in Phase I & II testing of client functionality (including TM overnight print jobs).

Topic 6 - Finalize Aleph Rx Plans

The group confirmed the reporting instructions and asked that the Web version be adjusted to improve legibility. RX lists of problems will be password protected but the reporting form will not be. Marlene will respond to issues related to observance of the reporting instructions during Phase II testing.

Topic 7 - Review Communications Issues

Some adjustments to the group Web page and addition of testing resources to the Aleph Update page will be made by Friday. Aleph RX is ready for Phase I testers, but reports will go to av16testers reflector only, not the COIs yet. Just before Phase II, the Aleph RX database will be adjusted to begin reporting categories of problems to the COIs. Testing coordinators will refer Phase II testers to the RX problem lists, and ITD will provide release notes when Phase II begins. AV16 TG needs the COIs to be in place as soon as possible. To support good communication during Phase I testing, all subgroups will cc the av16testers@itd.umd.edu reflector on all their messages, other than those for setting up meetings. We will ask for feedback on release of our Website to find out if it contains what USMAI staff need to perform testing and keep track of testing. Campus contacts not participating in Phase I testing will be encouraged to track testing results from the Aleph RX page. Jean’s monthly status reports on Aleph, available from http://www.itd.umd.edu/LIMS3/statusrep/ will continue and will include status of v. 16 upgrade efforts. The latest was issued today, September 15th.

Topic 8 - Report on Training

ExLibris training staff are still working on preparing the Interwise sessions but have promised delivery, by Friday, of a new Documentation CD with all of the version 16 training materials, worksheets for users to try out the functionality, and revised PowerPoint files. Jean will make them available on the password protected Aleph Update page when received.

Topic 9 - Plan next Meeting

• Phase II information
• Cross-functional problems from Phase I
• Determining “show stoppers”
• Communications issues, including Website
• Training
• Timeline review