Skip to main content
OCLC Support

Create a new authority enquiry option

Learn how to create a new authority enquiry option and how to search using the new option in Amlib.

Create the Query Option

It is possible to define extra Browse Searches for use with the Authority module

  1. Launch the Amlib client
  2. Go to Main > Authorities > AuthQueryOptions – the Heading Query Options Setup screen will display:
  3. Click the F1 New button
  4. Enter the following:
    • Description – for example: Subject Name - Personal Heading Only (600)
    • Enter whether you wish to have a Stoplist included (for example to ignore The, An etc.). For Personal Name Subject Headings, the setting would be N
  5. Enter the Where conditions (Hint: It is easiest to copy an existing line and then alter it. In this case Copy the Subject Heading line – by highlighting the existing line for subject and right- clicking and choosing Copy
  6. Go to the new line created and click into the WHERE a.AUTH_TAG_NO = nnn AND/OR a.AUTH_TAG_NO= nnn column, right-click and choose Paste
  7. The existing Query will be display: alter the WHERE statement to what it should be, for example:
    • WHERE A.AUTH_TAG_NO = 600
  8. Click the F3 Update button to save the new option
  9. Log out (Ctrl-L) of the Authorities module to allow the new query to come into effect

Search Using the New Query Option

  1. Go to Main > Authorities > Authorities – the Authorities screen will display:
  2. Perform a search – for example: type the letter A into the Search Term box to find all the Name Personal Headings beginning with A
  3. Click the F5 Query button – the Authority Query Options screen will display:
  4. Double-click the preferred option – for example: Subject Name – Personal Heading Only (600)
  5. An Authority List will display the results of the query – targeting ONLY the 600 Tag:

Additional Information

The Heading Query Options Setup screen allows for the maintenance of the Authority Query Options table (used when conducting searches in the Authorities module.) Any 'suitable' Tag (for example: a Marc Tag defined as an Authority) may be used as an enquiry point.

COLUMN HEADING

EXPLANATION

Description

The description of the enquiry which appears on the Authority Enquiry

Stoplist (Y/N)

Whether this particular enquiry should have leading 'the' 'a' etc automatically removed

Where a.AUTH_TAG_NO

= nnn AND/OR a.AUTH_TAG_NO

The SQL program statement used in the enquiry. The SQL statements formulating the enquiry are added to the program at Runtime and almost any enquiry may be defined. The SQL statement is consistent in its format:

Single Tags

"Where a.auth_tag_no = nnn" (where nnn is the Tag number being queried)

Multiple Tags may be queried by repeating the statement and joining it with an OR clause:

"Where a.auth_tag_no = nn1 OR a.auth_tag_no = nn2"

Please Note: Whenever joining TAGS with an OR statement, place brackets around the statement, after Where to the last tag_no – for example: WHERE (A.Auth_tag_no = 440 OR A.Auth_tag_no = 245)

Authority enquiries may be used to browse the Authority files and subsequently viewing of associated catalogues where applicable.

The Catalogue module has a similar enquiry options facility. Both enquiries use the same base data. The essential difference between the two modules is that this enquiry always shows a list of matching Authority records, which may or may not have associated catalogue records, whereas the

catalogue enquiry always shows a list of matching catalogues. The search term in both cases is a ‘like’ Authority entry (except when the keyword option has been selected).

 Note: The keyword enquiry option is always present in the system and does not need to be defined (these options are defined by their presence in the Marc Keyword Restrictors table).