Working with Tables

Policy tables, database tables, and notification tables control specific operating polices, database characteristics, and certain telephone notification settings. Table settings cannot be transmitted or inherited. For some tables, the settings apply system-wide, while other table settings must be defined specifically for each organization.

Administration Tables Displayed at the System Level

If a Polaris Administration table has too many rows to display at the system level (more than 5000), a message shows the number of rows and indicates if entries can be added at the system level. For the tables that allow bulk entries at the system level (where the same description is used across multiple branches), you can access the table at the system level and add entries even if the rows exceed the limit. For tables that do not allow bulk entries, you cannot access the table or add entries at the system level if the number of rows exceeds the limit.

The following message appears when you open the Item Statistical Class Codes policy table, the Patron Statistical Class Codes policy table, or the Shelf Locations database table at the system level and the table has more than 5000 rows:This table is too large to display at the System level (16241rows). You can insert new rows here. They will be saved and display at the Library and Branch level.

You can add entries to these tables for duplicate descriptions across multiple organizations. You can also modify entries for all three tables and delete entries from the Shelf Locations database table at the system level.

When you add or modify entries at the system level, duplicate detection is performed, and a message shows the number of duplicates and the number of successful entries/modifications:

xx duplicate were found

xx rows were inserted/modified successfully.

The duplicates have been removed/replaced

If the table has 50 rows or more or many branches, you may notice a delay while duplicate detection processing takes place. Tables that may be susceptible to this delay include:

Shelf Location
Patron Statistical Codes
Fine Codes
Dates Closed
School/Divisions
Course Terms
Course Names

If you attempt to access one of the following tables that do not allow bulk entries at the system level, and that table exceeds 5000 rows, the message displays only the first sentence, This table is too large to display at the System level (21400 rows).

Fines policy table
Loan Periods policy table
Holds Routing Sequences Primary policy table
Holds Routing Sequences Secondary policy table
Floating: To Branch policy table
Floating: Material Types policy table
Floating: Material Type Limits policy table
Outreach: Included Branches policy table

Policy Tables

Policy tables specify the operating policies of organizations in the system. Some policy tables work together to form organization-specific policies.

Example:
The Patron Codes policy table at the system level defines patron classifications, such as Adult or Staff. The Fine Codes table defines various fine descriptions for an organization, such as Standard Fine Rate and Music CDs, without specifying actual rates. The Fines table establishes the actual organization-specific fine rates based on combinations of Patron Codes and Fine Codes.

Some policy tables can be opened from the Administration Explorer or from an organization workform. Other policy tables are available only from the Administration Explorer or only on an organization workform.

All tables can be opened at the system level. As a general rule, if a table contains no organization ID or name, then the table is used by all organizations. These tables display the same entries at the system, library, and branch levels. If the table contains an organization ID or name, the library or branch can have its own unique entries.

You must have the permission Access tables: Allow for your organization level to change a specific policy table. Only one person at a time can open a policy table.

Database Tables

Database tables help define how certain aspects of the Polaris catalog database work, such as authority control and bibliographic indexing, as well as what settings are available in certain fields and drop-down boxes in the Polaris staff client. Some tables are set at implementation and cannot be altered. Other tables can be edited.

Database tables are available from the Administration Explorer at the system, library, and branch levels. Changes to these tables at any level apply to all organizations. To modify a database table, you must have specific permission for the table.

If you need to change a table that cannot be modified from Polaris Administration, either contact Polaris Customer Support or use the SQL Analyzer to directly change the database table. Tables that cannot be modified from Polaris Administration require a complete reindex of the entire database if they are changed.

Important:
Innovative Interfaces is not responsible for your use of the SQL Analyzer to change Polaris database tables.

Notification Table

Entries in the Dates Not to Call notification table define the specific dates the phone notification server does not call patrons, such as Christmas and New Year’s Day, for systems that use Polaris telephone notification. It is available from the Administration Explorer at the system level only, and the settings apply to the whole system. To modify this table, you must have specific permission for the table.