1. How to create links from an Alma Analytics report to Primo
Yoel Kortick Senior Librarian

2. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Introduction
Using the "Action Links"
Creating a hardcoded full URL
Creating a textual link for Excel

3. Introduction
There may be cases where it is desired to be able to click a link from within an Alma Analytics report directly to the record in the Primo discovery interface.
For example this may be useful for a “new resources list” which might be divided by topic and sent via the scheduled reports to various recipients.

4. Introduction
The examples here will use three different methods.
In all cases we will link via the MMSID of the record to the Primo discovery interface.
The same approach can be used also to link to other websites using other fields such as the ISBN or author.
In order to link to Primo we will need the “base URL” and this of course will differ from institution to institution.

5. Introduction
We will use the “base URL” with which a record may be retrieve in Primo with the MMSID. In our case:
For example:
&tab=default_tab&search_scope=Alma&vid=Alma&lang=en_US&offset=0

6. Introduction
Template URL
For this MMSID

7. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Introduction
Using the "Action Links"
Creating a hardcoded full URL
Creating a textual link for Excel

8. Using the "Action Links"
Step 1: Create any report and include the MMSID

9. Using the "Action Links"
In this report we will need to include a field which will be “any,contains,{MMSID}”.
This is because we will need to choose this as a parameter for the URL.
To add a field like this add an additional MMSID and the n choose “edit formula”
Additional MMSID
Edit formula

10. Using the "Action Links" Change this text To this text
"Bibliographic Details"."MMS Id"
To this text
'any,contains,' || "Bibliographic Details"."MMS Id"
Changed column heading
New formula

11. Using the "Action Links"
Step 2: Choose “Column Properties” on the MMSID

12. Using the "Action Links"
Step 3: Choose “Interaction” tab, Primary Interaction “Add Action Links”, and click the green plus to add an Action Link

13. Using the "Action Links"
Step 4: Add desired Link Text and then click the “Create New Action” button and choose “Navigate to a Web Page”

14. Using the "Action Links"
Step 5: Paste the URL Template and click “Define Parameters”

15. Using the "Action Links"
Step 6: For all rows uncheck “optional” and check “fixed” and “hidden”

16. Using the "Action Links"
Step 7: For query any,contains,MMSID click the down arrow in the “Value” column and choose “Column Value” and then choose the any,contains,MMSID field we made earlier

17. Using the "Action Links"
Step 8: Click “Options”

18. Using the "Action Links"
Step 9: Select “Open In New window” and then click “OK” three times until you return to the “Column Properties” window.

19. Using the "Action Links"
Step 10: Check “Do not display in a popup if only one action link is available at runtime”, click OK and save report.

20. Using the "Action Links"
Now if you view this report in the “Results” tab of analytics the MMSID will be linkable and clicking it will show the record in Primo
We will click the MMSID of “Computer Science Experiments

21. Using the "Action Links"
The record opens in Primo

22. Using the "Action Links"
Note: When this method is used and the report is exported, for example to PDF or Excel, the link will no longer work.
This is explained at
It states there “Action links are not included in exported formats, for example, Excel and PDF.”

23. Using the "Action Links"
You will probably not want to display the field “any,contains,MMSID”.
It cannot be deleted or excluded because it is used by the actions link.
It can however be hidden.
Click the pencil icon to edit the report

24. Using the "Action Links"
Make the field “any,contains,MMS Id” be hidden

25. Using the "Action Links"
Now the column no longer appears

26. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Introduction
Using the "Action Links"
Creating a hardcoded full URL
Creating a textual link for Excel

27. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Step 1: Create any report and include the MMSID

28. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Step 2: Choose “Edit Formula” on the MMSID

29. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Step 3: Remove the default text "Bibliographic Details"."MMS Id“ from the Column Formula
Remove this

30. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Step 4: In the Column Formula put
The part of the template before the MMS ID
The MMS ID as "Bibliographic Details"."MMS Id“
The part of the template after the MMS ID
Instead of this
Instead of commas use %2c
Put this
' || "Bibliographic Details"."MMS Id" || '&tab=default_tab&search_scope=Alma&vid=Alma&lang=en_US&offset=0'

31. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Step 5: Make a custom column heading and for example call it “URL”
A custom column heading
This is the formula from step 4

32. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Export the report, for example to PDF, and click the URL

33. Creating a hardcoded full URL
The record will open in Primo

34. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Note that this method will not work in Alma Analytics.
It will work only in the exported report.

35. Creating a hardcoded full URL
Introduction
Using the "Action Links"
Creating a hardcoded full URL
Creating a textual link for Excel

36. Creating a textual link for Excel
Step 1: Create any report and include the MMSID

37. Creating a textual link for Excel
Step 2: Choose “Edit Formula” on the MMSID

38. Creating a textual link for Excel
Step 3: Remove the default text "Bibliographic Details"."MMS Id“ from the Column Formula
Remove this

39. Creating a textual link for Excel
Step 4: In the Column Formula put the following
'=HYPERLINK("' || 'The 1st part of the URL until the MMSID' || "Bibliographic Details"."MMS Id" || 'The 2nd part of the URL after the MMSID' || '","Link to Primo")'
In our case it will be
'=HYPERLINK("' || ' || "Bibliographic Details"."MMS Id" || '&tab=default_tab&search_scope=Alma&vid=Alma&lang=en_US&offset=0' || '","Link to Primo")'
Note that the above formula merely concatenates the URL template with the MMS ID. Copy exactly as is making sure the quotation marks are properly copied

40. Creating a textual link for Excel
Step 5: Make a custom column heading and for example call it “Link to Primo”
A custom column heading
This is the formula from step 4

41. Creating a textual link for Excel
Export the report to csv and open in Excel

42. Creating a textual link for Excel
Click on of the “Link to Primo” links

43. Creating a textual link for Excel
The record will open in Primo

44. Yoel Kortick Senior Librarian
Thank you
Yoel Kortick Senior Librarian