AMICO Technology Committee

AMICO Certification of Collections Management Systems Export Capability

DRAFT for Committee Review, August 2, 2000

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Vendors of Museum Collections Management Systems are invited to apply for certification that their systems are able to export data to The AMICO Library according to the present version of the AMICO Data Specification. To become certified, Vendors with AMICO members as clients must demonstrate to AMICO, in collaboration with a client who is an AMICO member. Vendors without any AMICO clients will need to work with AMICO directly and will receive a preliminary certification that will be upgraded to full certification when an AMICO member successfully uses the system for export and validates the process. AMICO and the AMICO member must each verify compliance with a part of the requirements in order for full certification to be granted.

Upon receiving certification, the vendor may use the AMICO Logo, and name in advertising that their system is AMICO Export Certified.

I. Vendors wishing certification must apply to AMICO.

To begin the process, they will submit:

• A map of all fields that will be exported from their system to AMICO, such that each field in the AMICO Data Specification identifies the field(s) in the vendors system (if any) that are default settings for the export process. The map must (minimally) cover all values required for all the core AMICO elements. {make version of template at amico files/ctte.tech/datadictionary/amico.dd.1.2.cms-internal.mapping.sheet]
• After submitting the map to AMICO and to AMICO members using their system, vendors will receive a sign off on their default mapping. AMICO will coordinate the process to ensure vendors receive action within 30 days of submission.

II. Testing

• AMICO will create a test set of fewer than 30 records which will be provided to vendors to input into their systems. Access to the test set on an ftp site will be provided when mapping is accepted.

  NOTE: The test records will have some known defects that do not validate and will also exemplify the range of issues in mapping AMICO data

• Vendors will provide test data to a member in the format of the vendors own system and assist in loading it to the members database in a manner that permits its easy deletion after the test.
• After members of AMICO import the test records as created by their vendor into their own systems, they will identify an equal number of their own records.
• The test export will send the combined set of records to AMICO.

III. Certification of Data Content Requirements
(verified by AMICO on receipt of exported data)

• AMICO delimiters and tags are present and group tags are used correctly
• AMICO core fields are present except where AMICO has provided test data with known conformance problems
• Exported data values pass validation tests except where AMICO has provided test data with known conformance problems
• System has substituted default values (including AMICO Library Year ALY when not present to store the year that a work was first contributed to The AMICO Library)
• System can preserve existing values from overwriting (including AMICO Library Year value when a work has been previously contributed)
• System records date 'last exported' to AMICO
• Manage last updated or changed date of records, to enable identification of records needing re-export to AMICO (this includes linked reference files such as bibliography or artists files when data from them is reported to AMICO)
• Records the date a work was withdrawn from AMICO

IV. Data Management Requirements
(verified by members after exporting data)

A. Text Records

• The export routine must permit export of any system data elements that AMICO Member desires to export to any AMICO tag (e.g., the AMICO member must be able to customize the export) and permit members to save a custom export report for future execution.
• User customization of field choices (add or delete source fields, as long as all AMICO core elements are present)
• Concatenation of values from source fields into a single AMICO element
• Definition of logic for seeking alternate fields (if/then statements that refer to another field if one requested isn't present)
• Permit members to identify those records to be exported (through a query or a tag)
• Export identified works to a text file, conforming to the AMICO Data Specification and enable review of the exported text file before it is sent to AMICO (using other software, like a text editor, for example)

B. Multimedia Files

With respect to Images and Multimedia Data files, vendors’ system must:

• Export all links when multiple images are related to a particular work.

It is desirable that:

• User may specify which images linked to a work are to be exported.
• Provide for the algorithmic change of file types and names through the export routine (e.g. .jpg to .TIF).
• Image metadata should also be exported when this is present in the system.
• Use scenarios: Members expressed a desire to have export routine trigger an associated export process managed by an image server, that identified the linked master images, queued them for sampling according to defined rules, sampled the images, created metadata for them, and placed them all in a directory from which they would be written to media for delivery to AMICO.

C. Reporting

System must

• Report all of the records exported
• Report a list of all linked multimedia files

It is desirable that the system:

• Be able to import list of invalid records and use this as the trigger for a new export routine, once user corrections have been made.

IV. Certification

• AMICO will compare the failures of the test records to known formal tests of compatibility and will examine the members record export for both mapping and data export routine problems
• Members will be asked to certify that the data management requirements of the export routines have been satisfied
• When vendor’s export passes the test, the vendor will receive a formal certification from AMICO that their system is compatible with a specific version of the AMIO data dictionary.
• Each year, the vendor will receive updated data dictionary specifications 60 days prior to their implementation at AMICO, and will have an opportunity to export again and receive a renewed certification.

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Last modified on  October 10, 2001