Subworkflow – Remove WRLC Retention

This subworkflow removes WRLC retention commitments from a specified item by clearing retention-related fields in Alma for a given barcode and institution.

At a glance

• Status: Inactive (parent workflows are Active)

• Applies consortium-wide?: Yes (

• Runs on: Alma Institution Zones via Network routing 

• Trigger: Executed by another workflow (subworkflow only; no independent trigger)

• Primary outcome: Clears WRLC retention indicators from an item record in Alma.

• Who receives results: No direct output; results are returned to the calling workflow.

Why this exists

WRLC retention commitments are recorded at the item level in Alma. When a retention commitment needs to be removed (for example, as part of a broader retention management process), this subworkflow standardizes how those fields are cleared.

By isolating this logic into a reusable subworkflow, parent workflows can remove retention data consistently across institutions without duplicating code.

What it does

• Receives input from a parent workflow.

• Preserves the incoming barcode and institution code for error reporting.

• Routes the API call to the correct Alma Institution Zone.

• Retrieves the item by barcode.

• Clears WRLC retention-related fields.

• Writes the updated item back to Alma.

• Returns the updated item data to the calling workflow.

Where it runs

• Alma IZ(s):

  • Dynamically determined via _institutionCode passed from the parent workflow.

• Systems touched:

  • Alma APIs (item retrieval and update)

  • Alma Network routing node

• Reports / queries used: None

How it works

Logic overview

1. Trigger (Subworkflow Execution)

• Starts via “When Executed by Another Workflow.”

• Requires input fields:

  • Barcode

  • Institution Code

If these fields are missing, the workflow will fail or route incorrectly.

2. Preserve Input

The “Stash barcode” code node:

• Copies:

  • Barcode

  • Institution Code

• Stores them internally as:

  • _inputBarcode

  • _institutionCode

This ensures error reporting in the parent workflow can reference the original input values.

3. Route to Correct Institution

The Alma Network node:

• Uses _institutionCode to dynamically select the appropriate Institution Zone.

• Does not target all network members.

⚠️ If _institutionCode is incorrect or missing, the update may fail or affect the wrong IZ.

4. Retrieve Item

• Calls Alma API:

  • GET /almaws/v1/items

  • Uses the provided barcode.

• Always outputs data (even on error), allowing parent workflow error handling.

5. Remove WRLC Retention Fields

The “Remove WRLC Retention Code” node modifies:

• item_data.committed_to_retain

  • Sets value = false

  • Sets desc = "No"

• item_data.retention_reason

  • Clears value and description

• item_data.retention_note

  • Clears value

⚠️ Important behaviors:

• This workflow does not validate whether the item is currently marked as WRLC retention.

• It forcibly clears the fields.

• It assumes the Alma item structure includes:

  • item_data.committed_to_retain

  • item_data.retention_reason

If Alma’s API structure changes, this logic may break.

6. Update Item

• Calls Alma API:

  • PUT /almaws/v1/bibs/{mms_id}/holdings/{holding_id}/items/{item_pid}

• Writes the modified item back to Alma.

If results exist

• The item’s retention fields are cleared.

• The updated item JSON is returned to the parent workflow.

• No independent notification is sent.

If no results

• If the barcode is invalid or the item cannot be retrieved:

  • The workflow still outputs data (due to continueRegularOutput settings).

  • Error handling must be managed by the parent workflow.

Artifacts produced

• Updated Alma item record.

• No files, sets, reports, or email notifications.