Matching rules for patron data

This documentation explains which fields in a patron data file are matched against existing patron accounts in WorldShare Circulation or Tipasa when ongoing or patron delete files are provided.

Matching order

This is the order in which data elements are matched when patron data is loaded initially and on an ongoing basis. The matching process stops after the first match is found. If no match is found, a new record is created.

Matching order Data from institution's authentication system Matched against in WorldShare Circulation Note
1 sourceSystem/idAtSource sourceSystem/idAtSource Cycles through one by one if there are multiple.
2 idAtSource barcode Cycles through all idAtSource values if there are multiple.
3 idAtSource ILL identifier Cycles through all idAtSource if there are multiple.
4 barcode barcode  
5 ILL identifier ILL identifier  
6 ILL identifier barcode  

 Note: The current matching path would be 1, 2, 4 above for WorldShare Circulation users only. Steps 3, 5 and 6 are used if the matching is for both WorldShare Circulation and Tipasa or Tipasa users only.

View data in the WorldShare Admin module

Library staff with the Admin role can view data by going to Admin > Account info. The idAtSource data will display in the Source System field and sourceSystem will display in the User ID at Source field.

WorldShare authentication

WorldShare authentication is the default authentication option when not using third-party authentication. For more information, contact your OCLC Implementation Manager or OCLC Support .

Data from institution's authentication system Matched against in WorldShare Circulation
Barcode (patron ID from institution) Barcode table

Third-party authentication

Third-party authentication means that institutions are using their own authentication systems for WorldShare Circulation (for example, a campus personnel system).

LDAP and CAS authentication

Matching order Data from institution's authentication systems Matched against in WorldShare Circulation Note
1
  • idAtSource (LDAP/CAS username)
  • sourceSystem (supplied by OCLC)
  • idAtSource (LDAP/CAS username)
  • sourceSystem (supplied by OCLC)

Matching operates on both fields. If only one of the fields in a combination matches, the match fails.

If there are multiple idAtSource/sourceSystem combinations per patron, matching is attempted on all combinations.
2 idAtSource (LDAP/CAS username) Barcode table  
3 Barcode (patron ID from institution) Barcode table  

Shibboleth/ADFS

Matching order Data from institution's authentication systems Matched against in WorldShare Circulation Note
1
  • idAtSource (username from institution's system)
  • sourceSystem (Shibboleth entity ID from institution's system)
  • idAtSource (username from institution's system)
  • sourceSystem (Shibboleth entity ID from institution's system)

Matching operates on both fields. If only one of the fields in a combination matches, the match fails.

 

If there are multiple idAtSource/sourceSystem combinations per patron, matching is attempted on all combinations.
2 idAtSource (username from campus system) Barcode table  
3 Barcode (patron ID from institution) Barcode table  

When a match is found

After a match has been found, you can view updates and reports for information about your patron data.

Ongoing patron load updates

  • If new data is included in an update record, all will be replaced with new information. This does not apply to the sourceSystem/idAtSource fields. If those fields are changed, a new entry will be added in the account accordion.
  • Name and Postal address information are treated as a group; if there was a full address previously and the update record only includes the country, then the Postal Address will be overwritten with just the country. If nothing new is provided in the update record, then the old address will be maintained.
  • If an update record does not include data for an optional field, but contained data in a previous update, the original data will be maintained.
  • If you want to bulk delete library patron records, see Tab-delimited data bulk delete.
  Fields Action
For WorldShare Circulation, if any of these fields are present > barcode, homeBranch, borrowerCategory, circRegistrationDate > It will be treated as a WorldShare Circulation record and will assume the WorldShare Circulation required fields are present.
For Tipasa, if any of the ILL fields are present > illId, illApprovalStatus, illPatronType, illPickupLocation > It will be treated as an ILL record and assume the ILL required fields are present.
For WorldShare Circulation, if any required WorldShare Circulation fields are missing > givenName OR familyName, institutionId, barcode, borrowerCategory, homeBranch, > The record will be ignored.
For Tipasa, if any fields are missing > givenName OR familyName, institutionId, illId, at least one piece of contact information (postal address, phone or email) > The record will be ignored.
If both WorldShare Circulation and Tipasa fields are present >   It will take on requirements for both types of records.

Patron file processing reports

Patron data reports are available in the wms/reports file exchange directory and can be downloaded using an open-source SFTP client or by using SFTP commands.

This table shows the directories for downloading files and reports.

File type SFTP file directory location Note
Patron Exception Report /xfer/wms/reports Lists patron records which fail to load into WMS and also failure reason. The exception report will only run if there is at least one patron record that failed to load into WMS within a patron file.
Patron Summary Report /xfer/wms/reports Runs after a patron file is loaded into WMS and tells how many patrons in the file read, processed, good (loaded), bad (did not load), new, and updated.