1. Creating links from an Alma Analytics report to an external web page
Yoel Kortick | Senior Librarian

2. Agenda 1
Introduction 2
How is it done? 3
The Results

3. Introduction
Often it is useful to link from an Alma analytics report to an external web page
The link can take parameters from the report and then use them in a search in the external web page
The external web page may be, for example, a national catalog or vendor acquisitions site

4. Introduction
In the demonstration here, for example, we have a report of “high demand” items.
The report includes all titles for which there have been 5 or more physical item requests in the past month.
It is thus likely that the library will want to purchase additional copies.

5. We will make a link from the ISBN to a vendor site
Introduction
The report includes
Number of requests
Title
ISBN
We will make a link from the ISBN to a vendor site
The link will “take” the ISBN from the report and automatically search it in the vendor site
This will make it easier for the library to find the item.
No “copy and paste” is needed from the report to the vendor site.

6. Agenda 1
Introduction 2
How is it done? 3
The Results

7. How is it done?
Here is the report. Currently it has no links.

8. How is it done?
Here is what we will do
Get syntax
Edit column properties
Add an action link
Make the action navigate to a web page
Use syntax from above for the web page
Make URL take ISBN from the report column
Make the parameters hidden and mandatory
Make link open in new window
Make link now use Pop Up window
Test it

9. How is it done? Step 1
Identify the URL syntax of the search which you will do with the value from the Alma Analytics report.
For example an ‘Advanced Search’ for ISBN at Amazon book search starts here:
The search syntax is: isbn number}

10. How is it done? Step 1

11. How is it done? Step 1

12. How is it done? Step 2
Choose ‘Column Properties’ on the column from which there will be a link

13. How is it done? Step 3
In the ‘Interaction’ tab choose ‘Value Primary Action’ ‘Action Links’ then click the green plus for ‘Add Action Link’

14. How is it done? Step 4
Click the “Create New Action” icon and then “Navigate to a Web Page”

15. How is it done? Step 5
Paste the URL (from step 1) into the “URL” box and then click “Define Parameters”

16. How is it done? Step 6a
Click the down arrow next to the ISBN, because we will want to take this as value from the report and not what is already in the URL

17. How is it done? Step 6b
Choose “Column Value”, because we will want to take a value from a column in the report

18. How is it done? Step 6c
Use the down arrow to the right of the field to choose the ISBN. We choose the ISBN because this is the value which we want to search on. Note that what appears here is the value from “Edit Formula” and not the column header

19. How is it done? Step 7
Uncheck the “Optional” boxes and check the “Fixed” and “Hidden” boxes. This is because we want these values to always be used and that the user does not need to manually choose them.

20. How is it done? Step 8a
Click “Options”

21. How is it done? Step 8b
Check the box “Open In New Window” because we will want this in a new window (or tab), and not in the same tab as the Analytics report. Click OK here and continue to click OK until you return to the “Column Properties” screen

22. How is it done? Step 9
In the “Column Properties” screen check the box which states “Do not display in a popup if only one action link is available at runtime”. This is because we want the ISBN to be the link and not a separate pop-up.

23. How is it done? Step 10
Test the report by clicking the ISBN and see what happens

24. Agenda 1
Introduction 2
How is it done? 3
The Results

25. The librarian will arrive to the report
The Results
The librarian will arrive to the report
This may be, for example, from the “Analytics Link” at the top of the Alma Dashboard or via “Open in new window” from the widget.

26. The Results
We click on the ISBN hyperlink for ‘C.S. Lewis as philosopher’. It has 8 requests in the last month.

27. We arrive to the item at Amazon Books
The Results
We arrive to the item at Amazon Books
This URL was defined in the column ‘action’
This ISBN was taken from the report

28. The Results

29. THANK YOU