Variable-length Fields

Contact Innovative to purchase changes to your organization's set of valid variable-length fields. Innovative can create or remove variable-length fields for you.

Each type of record has a set of valid variable-length fields, determined by your organization during the setup of your system. Variable-length fields contain data that is usually alphanumeric. Examples of data in variable-length fields are free-text notes, addresses, and barcodes. The variable-length fields are described in:

If a variable-length field is valid for a record type and enabled, it does not have to appear in every record of that type. (Note that if a fixed-length field is valid for a record type and enabled, it will appear in every record of that type.)

Variable-length fields are repeatable within a record. Each record has a limit of 127 MARC and non-MARC variable-length fields with the same field group tag.

You can find and replace field group tags, MARC tags, and MARC subfield indicators in records by using Global Update. However, you must contact Innovative to create or remove a variable-length field.

For some variable-length fields, content is determined by the system. For others, your organization determines the content.

Some variable-length fields are indexed and may be used to retrieve records. Index tags and field group tags are easy to confuse: for example, t is used for the title field group tag and t is used for the title index tag. See Indexes and Field Groups and Field Group Tags for descriptions of these two types of tag.

Field Groups and Field Group Tags

Variable-length fields are grouped and each variable-length field group is represented by a one-letter field group tag. For example, the field group with the tag a can include the following MARC and non-MARC fields (note that there can be multiple MARC fields within a field group):

a	100	1	Adams, Ansel,\|d1902-	(MARC field)
a	110	1	South Africa.\|bParliament.	(MARC field)
a			Adams, Ansel, 1902-	(non-MARC field)

Each tag is defined as valid in one or more of the record types. For example, both bibliographic and item records may contain tag c (call number).

Each field group also has a label. For example, the field group with the tag a has the label "AUTHOR." These labels display throughout the software.

Uses in the System

The most common uses of field groups throughout the system include:

Record displays

Regular full record displays present data in field group order. Field group labels are used as the default to identify fields. For bibliographic records, your organization has the option of using more precise labels for displaying specific MARC tags. For example, an organization might decide to display 520 fields as SUMMARY, while defaulting to the field group label NOTE for all other 5XX fields, which have the field group tag n.
Record editing

Field group tags are used in some field deletion, insertion, and modification tasks. Your organization can choose which field group tags (and MARC tags) are prompted for during new record creation.
Reports

One of the commonly used options when creating a review file is to base it on specified field groups.

Additional uses of field groups throughout the system include:

Indexing

Indexing is based on index rules (a combination of field group tag, MARC tag, indicators, and subfields). Different subfields within a MARC tag can be placed in separate indexes. For example, in a record containing the field:

a 700 |aJames, Henry |tPortrait of a lady

the data in subfield a would be included in the author index, and the data in subfield t would be included in the title index.
Overlay Protection

Your organization can choose which field group tags and MARC tags are protected from overlay during record loading.

Default Tags for Variable-length Fields When Creating Records

When you create a record, you begin by selecting a record template (or allowing the system to choose a template for you). A template contains default MARC tags for some or all variable-length fields. These MARC tags are used unless you overwrite them when creating the new record. See Creating Records for more information.

Templates determine which fields you are prompted to provide content for when creating a record. To change the variable-length fields that you are prompted to provide content for, or to change their default MARC tags, see Editing Record Templates.

Note that invoice records use system-defined templates that are accessible from the Invoice function. Users do not select templates when creating invoices.

Variable-length Field Limits

Variable-length fields may contain up to 10,000 characters of alphanumeric data each.

Each variable-length field has a short label, with a maximum length of ten characters. An example of a short label is BIND TITLE. In addition to the short label, many variable-length fields also have a long label, with a maximum length of eighty characters. An example of a long label is Binding Title. The system displays the long label if one is defined for the field or the short label if no long label is defined for the field.

You can edit the long labels with Advanced System Access & Administration (ASAA).

Library-Defined Variable-length Fields

Innovative can create variable-length fields, such as a PRE-STAMP field or a STAFF NOTE field, for use with your records. Contact Innovative with the following information:

whether you want the field indexed

If no indexing is done, or if the new field is to be added to a compatible existing index, there is no charge to add the new field. If indexing is done, and the new field is added to a new index, the Help Desk will forward the issue to Customer Sales for a price quote.
label (up to 10 characters) to use for the new field
preferred letter to use as the field tag (to view the tags your system uses, see Variable-length Field Names Table)
where the new field should be added (after or before what existing field)
whether you want the field to be used in Listing the Records in a Review File and Sorting Records in a Review File in Creating Lists
whether the field is MARC or non-MARC
If a MARC field, the default MARC tag
whether to add the field to a MARC record load table and which load table to add it to
whether to protect this field from overlay during downloading (you can change this setting at any time in Edit overlay protection list)

See also:: Local Variable-Length Fields