OCLC Multi Match List Page

At a glance

• Status: Active

• Environment / Tags: Network Zone

• Applies consortium-wide?: Yes (The workflow operates in the Alma Network Zone and reports on Network Zone import jobs.)

• Runs on: Alma Network Zone (NZ)

• Trigger: Scheduled — runs daily at 10:30 PM

• Primary outcome: Generates a spreadsheet listing all OCLC multi-match bibliographic records from the previous day’s import jobs.

• Who receives results: No direct notification; results are written to a shared Excel workbook.

Why this exists

When OCLC import jobs encounter multi-matches, Alma cannot automatically determine which existing record should be updated. These records require review.

This workflow creates a structured, review-ready spreadsheet listing all multi-match records from the previous day’s OCLC import jobs, including:

• OCLC number

• Network ID

• Institution holdings

• Import profile type

• Title

This supports consortium-level quality control and faster resolution of ambiguous matches.

What it does

• Runs nightly.

• Identifies specific OCLC import jobs by job ID.

• Retrieves completed job instances from the previous day.

• Excludes FTP-related job variants.

• Retrieves all multi-match records from those jobs.

• Splits comma-separated Network IDs into one row per record.

• Retrieves full NZ bib records for each match.

• Parses MARC XML to extract:

  • First 035$a OCLC number

  • All AVA fields (institution holdings)

• Produces one row per holding per bib.

• Removes duplicate institution holdings.

• Creates a new dated worksheet in Excel.

• Appends formatted rows to a structured table.

Where it runs

• Alma IZ(s):

  • Alma Network Zone

• Systems touched:

  • Alma APIs (read-only for job data and matches; read/write for bib retrieval)

  • Microsoft Excel (Office 365)

• Reports / queries used: None (operates directly on Alma job APIs)

How it works

Logic overview

1. Schedule & Date Setup

• Runs daily at 10:30 PM.

• Calculates yesterday’s date.

• Uses that date to retrieve completed job instances.

2. Identify Relevant Import Jobs

• Uses a hard-coded list of OCLC import job IDs.

• Retrieves job instances submitted yesterday.

• Keeps only those with status COMPLETED_SUCCESS.

• Filters out instances whose name contains “w/FTP:”.

⚠️ If import profile IDs change, this workflow must be updated.

3. Retrieve Multi-Match Records

• Calls Alma’s job matches endpoint with population = MULTI_MATCHES.

• Extracts:

  • Incoming record ID

  • MMS Ids (comma-separated list)

  • Job name (used to determine import type)

  • Submission date

• Determines Import Type (Deleted, Merged, New, Updated) using pattern matching on job name.

⚠️ If naming conventions change, import type detection may break.

4. Separate Network IDs

• Splits comma-separated MMS IDs into one row per Network ID.

• This is required for downstream bib-level processing.

5. Retrieve and Parse Bib Records

For each Network ID:

• Retrieves the full NZ bib record.

• Parses MARC XML using regex to extract:

  • First 035$a beginning with (OCoLC)

  • All AVA fields:

    • subfield 0 → MMS Id (institution-level)

    • subfield a → Institution code

Returns one row per AVA field (institution holding).

⚠️ Assumptions:

• MARC structure remains consistent.

• Only the first (OCoLC) number is used.

• Regex-based MARC parsing may fail if XML structure changes.

6. Normalize and Deduplicate

• Merges import metadata with parsed MARC data.

• Removes duplicate rows based on MMS Id (institution holding).

• Prepares structured fields for Excel.

7. Excel Output

For each run:

1. Creates a new worksheet named with yesterday’s date (yyyy-MM-dd).

2. Waits 15 seconds (ensures Excel sheet creation completes).

3. Appends a header row.

4. Creates a table.

5. Appends all processed rows.

Columns written:

• Network Id

• OCLC Number in Alma

• Incoming Record Id

• Title

• MMS Id

• Institution

• Import Profile

• Import Date

Network IDs and MMS IDs are written as text to prevent numeric reformatting.

If results exist

• A new worksheet is created for the date.

• Each multi-match record appears as one row per institution holding.

• Spreadsheet becomes a permanent audit record for review.

If no results

• A new worksheet is still created.

• Only the header row is present.

• No data rows are appended.

Artifacts produced

• Excel workbook:
  OCLC Multi Match List

• One worksheet per day.

• Structured table with normalized fields.

No emails or additional reports are generated.