Working with data sources

Important: Model Application version 5 vs earlier versions

Axiell Collections comprises two main components, a Model Application and the Axiell Collections software. The Model Application is the collections management heart of Axiell Collections and it is available in a range of configurations for different types of organization (archive, library, museum). What distinguishes the different configurations of the Model Application are the data sources The management of a collection can involve a vast amount of information about objects / items / books, people and organizations, events, administration and more. This information is stored as records in data sources. Each data source stores a specific type of information: details about collection items, people, events, loans, and so on. available in each. Some data sources are available in all configurations of the Model Application (Persons and institutions for instance), but the collection management needs of museums differ from those of film institutes, which differ again from libraries and so different data source are available for managing these different collections (starting with specialized catalogues: Moving image catalogue, Object catalogue, Archives catalogue, Library catalogue, and so on). The data sources available to you will depend on the version and configuration of the Model Application implemented for your organization.

There is more to the Model Application than data sources and details about the current and earlier versions can be found here.

This documentation is written for the latest version of Axiell Collections and assumes an implementation based on Model Application version 5. The most obvious difference between version 5 and earlier versions is found in the Select data source box; in most other ways, the functionality described in this documentation is relevant for all recent Model Application versions.

The Select database box was renamed Select data source box with version 5.0. Here we see the Select database box from a Model Application 4.5.2 system (with archive, library and museum collections):

And here we see the Select data source box from a Model Application 5.0 system:

An important change is the inclusion of a top level Catalogue data source (see Data sources for details about the organization of data sources into top and sub levels). Amongst other changes:

The Internal object catalogue and External object catalogue have been replaced by the Object catalogue and we now document these different object types by selecting internal or in loan (for an external object) from the Management status drop list:
The Library catalogue is now a sub level data source below the Catalogue, and instead of documenting a book, serial or article by selecting the Book, Serial or Article data sources, we document these different library items by selecting a value from the Document type drop list in the Library catalogue:

The management of a collection can involve a vast amount of information about objects / items / books, people and organizations, events, administration and more. This information is stored as records in database tables, which we call data sources in Axiell Collections. Each data source is designed to store a specific type of information:

Locations and containers holds details about the places and containers where your collection items can be found;
Persons and institutions holds details about people and organizations involved in some way with your collection; and so on.

Some data sources have been divided into two or more sections to better manage related groups of records. Each division is a data source in its own right. For example, you may find that the Catalogue data source has six divisions, each designed to manage a particular type of collection item:

Moving image catalogue
Object catalogue
Archives catalogue
Library catalogue
Accessions
Non-collection items and accessories

When we add a new record in Collections, we first select the data source in which to create the record, and we do this with the Select data source box:

Select a data source in which to add a new record

Note: From Collections version 1.15 onwards it is possible to customize which data sources are listed in the Select data source box, and in what order. Details here.

When a data source has been sub-divided, we always create a record in one of its sub-divisions. In fact, you will observe that the Catalogue data source is not listed in the Select data source box above: if a record is for an object, it is saved in the Object catalogue; if it is for a book, it is saved in the Library catalogue; and so on.

However, as we see in the image of the Select data source box below, when running a search it is possible to select:

A top level data source: a search in Catalogue will run across all of its sub-divisions (in this case all six of the lower level data sources highlighted in the image below will be searched simultaneously).
Any one of Catalogue's lower level data sources, Library catalogue for instance, to search its records only.

In Collections we work in a single data source at a time: we search for records in Persons and institutions for instance, and we edit records in that data source; when we add a new record, the first thing we do is select the data source to which the record will be added. While we work in a single data source, we have access to data in many other data sources because records in different data sources are linked together: for instance, details about a museum item are recorded in the Object catalogue, and details about the object's creator are recorded in Persons and institutions; these two records are linked from a Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). in the Object catalogue record called creator (VV). In the Object catalogue we can run a search for objects created by an artist whose details are recorded and maintained in Persons and institutions.

Here we see the Select data source box that displays when running a search, and here the Catalogue data source is listed:

About database tables, data sources and data sets

You do not need to know the following information in order to use Collections, but you might find it useful.

Axiell Collections uses a SQL database to manage all of your collections data. Your data is stored in database tables, each designed to hold a specific type of data (data about people and organizations; data about locations; etc.).

A table can hold a certain number of records (something like 2,147,483,646). A dataset is a record number range in a database table. Each database table has at least one dataset with the full range of record numbers available (e.g. 1 to 2,147,483,646). A dataset is then assigned to a data source.

For example, a table has a single dataset called people with the full record number range available. This dataset has been assigned to the Persons and institutions data source. When you create a record in the Persons and institutions it is assigned a unique record number in the people dataset. The structure of a database table in Collections is defined in a file with a .inf extension, in this case a file called people.inf.

When a database table is sub-divided there is one dataset with the full range of record numbers, and one or more datasets with a partial range of these record numbers.

For example, collect.inf defines the structure of a database table used to store details about items in a collection. In this example, seven datasets have been defined:

	Dataset name	Record number range	Assigned to data source
1.	fullcatalogue	1 to 2,147,483,646	Catalogue
2.	museum	1 to 20,000,000	Object catalogue
3.	accessories	100,000,001 to 110,000,000	Non-collection items and accessories
4.	archivecatalogue	110,000,001 to 130,000,000	Archives catalogue
5.	film	200,000,001 to 220,000,000	Moving image catalogue
6.	document	300,000,001 to 500,000,000	Library catalogue
7.	accessions	1,500,000,000 to 1,501,000,000	Accessions

As the name suggests, fullcatalogue has the full record number range available and it is assigned to the Catalogue data source; each of the other datasets has a partial record number range and is assigned to a data source: the accessions dataset has been assigned to the Accessions data source for instance.

When you search the Accessions data source, you search the records saved in the accessions dataset.

When you search the Catalogue data source, you search the records saved in the fullcatalogue dataset, in other words all records in the database table (records saved in archivecatalogue, document, film, museum, accessories and accessions).