Exporting a CSV - Any other MIS

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If you can export a CSV file from your management system (MIS), it can be imported directly into the library system.

When using an MIS that we have not provided specific instructions for, we have a list of instructions which the format of a CSV needs to meet.

Most management systems provide some way to export data to txt, csv, tsv etc. Usually this is done by creating a report and exporting the data but depending on your MIS it may be done another way. If you are unsure how to export data from your system, contact the provider of your MIS.

When editing a CSV ensure to use a text editor such as Notepad.

Mandatory Fields

The first line of the CSV file should always contain the column headers. Of these headers, there are certain fields that are mandatory and are always required. Ensure that the following headers are present in the CSV file.

Column Header	Description
ManagementSystemID	Unique alphanumeric value which identifies the borrower within the administration system
Forename	The borrower's forename
Surname	The borrower's surname
DateOfBirth	The borrower's date of birth. DD/MM/YYYY
Gender	The borrower's gender. M, F, Male and Female are all accepted
TutorGroup	The class/tutor/registration group that the borrower belongs to
YearGroup	The year the borrower is in

All fields shown in the table above must be included within the CSV file, the order of the headers does not matter. If any one of these headers is missing, the file will not import.

Formatting

When a CSV file is produced there are certain settings that need to be in place:

Each field should be surrounded by quotation marks
Each field must be separated by a comma

It is not required that each header/value is within quotation marks, but it is recommended. This is because in some cases, the data you wish to import may contain a comma (,) and it is easy for the fields to become offset.

Once the CSV is formatted correctly each value should be separated by a comma with no spaces and within quotation marks.

"ManagementSystemID","Forename","Surname","DateOfBirth","Gender","TutorGroup","YearGroup"
"0005678","Joseph","Bloggs","05/05/1985","Male","10Green","10"

Additional Fields

The fields shown in the following table can also be imported into the application in addition to the required fields.

Field Name	Description
LibrarySet	The set the borrowers belong to
House	The house the borrower belongs to
Barcode	The borrowers barcode number *(see note below)
LogonName	The logon name a borrower can use to log into the application
Password	The password a borrower can use to log into the system
Title	The borrower's title (Mr, Mrs, Miss, Dr)
Address1	The first line of the borrower's address
Address2	The second line of the borrower's address
Address3	The third line of the borrower's address
Address4	The fourth line of the borrower's address
Address5	The fifth line of the borrower's address
Address6	The sixth line of the borrower's address
Postcode	The borrower's postal code
TelephoneNumber_Home	The borrower's home telephone number
TelephoneNumber_Work	The borrower's work telephone number
TelephoneNumber_Mobile	The borrower's mobile telephone number
Email	The email address of the borrower
Ethnicity	The borrower's ethnicity
DateAdded	The date that the borrower was added
RFID	The RFID value assigned to the borrower

Note that you cannot update existing records by including the barcode in the CSV.

As many or as few of these fields can be added in addition to the mandatory fields but if any of the mandatory fields are missing then the CSV will fail to import into the system.

Guardian Details

In addition to the additional fields you can specify for the borrower, guardian details can also be added.

The table below lists the fields you can import as guardian details and a description of what the field is.

Field Name	Description
Guardian1_Title	Guardian 1's title
Guardian1_Surname	Guardian 1's surname
Guardian1_Forename	Guardian 1's forename
Guardian1_Address1	Guardian 1's address line 1
Guardian1_Address2	Guardian 1's address line 2
Guardian1_Address3	Guardian 1's address line 3.
Guardian1_Address4	Guardian 1's address line 4
Guardian1_Address5	Guardian 1's address line 5
Guardian1_Address6	Guardian 1's address line 6
Guardian1_Postcode	Guardian 1's postcode
Guardian1_Email	Guardian 1's email address
Guardian1_TelephoneNumber_Home	Guardian 1's home telephone number
Guardian1_TelephoneNumber_Work	Guardian 1's work telephone number
Guardian1_TelephoneNumber_Mobile	Guardian 1's mobile telephone number

There are two lots of guardian details that each borrower can hold. To import the second set of guardian details (i.e. 'Guardian 2') then change each field from Guardian1 to Guardian2.

When you have created a CSV file following these instructions, you can import the CSV file using the 'WBLS' option.