**Alma/Primo VE Main Resource Guide

Best Practices

1. Search for documentation prior to implementing changes. Some great resources:
   1. Ex Libris Acquisitions Documentation
   2. SUNY Alma Acquisitions training guide
   3. Harvard Wiki Alma Acquisitions
   4. CARLI Acquisitions Infrastructure
2. Record existing configurations prior to implementing changes by taking screen captures and exporting settings tables to Excel. 
3. Test and evaluate changes in the sandbox environment first if possible. 

Reporting Codes

• Similar to object codes in Aleph. Aleph object codes migrated to Alma as 1st reporting codes
• Can be added to PO lines; automatically populates in new invoice lines from PO line record
• Can be used for Analytics Reporting. Appears in Order Lines search facets
• 5 separate reporting code tables are available
• Changing the code name in the table does not update code value in PO lines or invoices
• Enable/disable codes to control which codes appear in the drop-down list of the PO line window
• Descriptions may be changed, and will update the display values in PO lines and invoices
• If reporting codes are deleted, they will be permanently removed from the system. If a PO line was assigned a code that is deleted, you will not be able to search for the PO lines by that code. Make sure PO lines have been reassigned the correct codes prior to deleting

 

Invoice Approval Rules

• Determine under what conditions an invoice is sent for review (e.g. invoices with a total over $10,000)
• Processed in order from top down, processing continues until a rule is true
• Default rule processed last -- do not edit or delete

 

Payment Method

• Invoice Payment Method is a fixed list in Alma
• Invoice payment method can affect behavior in Alma 
• You can relabel the descriptions, example: Credit Card > PCard 
• You can edit which payment method is set as the default method

 

Access Model

• Electronic resource access model (number of simultaneous users)
• Useful for mapping EOD MARC records for electronic resources. (Vendor files can use access model codes that are different from default codes)
• Codes and descriptions can be added, edited, and deleted

 

Fund and Ledger Fiscal Period

• New lines automatically added during fund/ledger rollover
• Need to manually change description every fiscal year
• May need to activate previous fiscal years to pay outstanding invoices
• Only Ex Libris can change the date ranges

 

Fund Types

• Examples: "Grants", "Regular", etc.
• Does not affect Alma's behavior
• May want to change these to match institution's fund configuration
• Can add, edit, or delete fund types
• Can enable or disable types, change the order of appearance in drop-down menus, or set a fund type as a default value

 

Manage Acquisitions Alerts

• Appear in "alerts" tab in PO lines, invoices, etc. Also appears as a search result facet
• May want to disable some alerts, example: "the bib record is brief"
• Can enable or disable alerts, but cannot edit

 

"Other Settings"

• Miscellaneous settings, like whether claims are automatically sent to the vendor, price alert threshold for PO lines, etc. 
• Exercise caution when changing these settings

 

Configuration Option	Alma Section	Type	Comments
1st-5th Reporting Codes	Configuration	Code table	Similar to object codes in Aleph (Aleph Object Codes migrated as 1st reporting code). Can be added to PO lines, automatically populates in new invoice lines from PO line record. Can be used for Analytics reporting. Also appears in Order Lines search facets. 5 Reporting codes tables. Changing codes in table don't update code values in PO lines or invoices. Description may be changed, and will update the display value.
Purchasing Review Rules	Configuration	Rules	May be useful to configure if your institution needs to ratify orders placed via EDI.
Shipping Method	Configuration	Code table	Generally speaking, for code tables; you can add new codes or edit descriptions. Changing the code does not update codes in PO lines, invoices, vendors etc.
PO Line Cancellation Reasons	Configuration	Code table	Might want to add this, example: PO line created in error; mostly relevant if using EDI to send cancellations to vendor, or for reporting purposes.
PO Line Types	Configuration	Mapping table	Fixed list of codes, but can enable/disable existing codes; enabling/disabling codes does not update any record data
PO Line Deferral Reasons	Configuration	Code table	Similar to PO Line Cancellation Reasons
Acquisition Method	Configuration	Code table	Enable/disable/change description, otherwise this a fixed list of codes set by Ex Libris; might want to disable "purchase" if your institution does not transmit orders to the vendor via EDI
EDI Vendor Note Fields	Configuration	Mapping table	For EDI orders, claims, cancellations & renewals sent via EDI
PO Line Price Threshold	Configuration	Code table	Price threshold at which an alert is generated for a PO line; default is $10,000; can be used in purchasing review riles
Invoice Review Rules	Configuration	Rules
Invoice Approval Rules	Configuration	Rules	Processed in order from top down; default rule processed last (do not edit or delete)
Disapproval Reasons	Configuration	Code table	Similar to PO Line Cancellation Reasons
VAT Codes	Configuration	Code table	Not used--no VAT for SUS or FCS
Payment Method	Configuration	Code table	May want to re-label, e.g. Credit Card->PCard
Invoice Amount Threshold	Configuration	Code table	Triggers an alert when invoice total is greater than this amount; can be set to different amounts for each library
Sections Order	Configuration	Mapping table	Determines order that different license sections are displayed in Alma (disabled by default)
Manage License Terms	Configuration	Code table/Mapping table (hybrid)	What it says on the tin; new terms can be added, but existing terms cannot be deleted
License Storage Location	Configuration	Code table	Locations of copies of physical licenses-may want to customize if e-resources are managed in separate accounting units
Access Model	Configuration	Code table/Mapping table (hybrid)	Useful for mapping EOD marc records for electronic resources; models can be added, edited, and deleted
License Review Status	Configuration	Code table
Discovery Interface Labels Customized	Configuration	Code table	Empty by default, new labels cannot be added (not for Primo VE)
License Term Controlled Vocabulary	Configuration	Code table	Empty by default, new labels cannot be added (not for Primo VE)
Purchase Request Reject Reasons	Configuration	Code table	Similar to PO Line Cancellation Reasons
Purchase Request Material Types	Configuration	Code table	Physical or Electronic; can be reordered, but not edited
Other Settings	Configuration	Mapping table	A lot of settings, like whether claims are automatically sent to vendor, price alert threshold for PO lines, etc. *exercise caution when changing these settings*
Currency Subset	Configuration	Mapping table	Currency configuration; Not relevant-all institutions using USD
Fund and Ledger Fiscal Period	Configuration	Mapping table	New lines automatically added during fund/ledger rollover; Need to manually change description every FY; May need to activate previous FYs to pay outstanding invoices; only Ex Libris can change the date ranges
Receiving Department Validations	Configuration	Mapping table	Not used? blank by default, new lines cannot be added
Fund Types	Configuration	Code table	e.g. "Grants", "Regular", etc.
Acquisition Jobs Configuration	Configuration		Configure PO line packaging & sushi harvesting
Subscribers	Configuration	Code table	for COUNTER/SUSHI configurations
Legal Deposit Reports	Configuration	Code table
Survey Question Multiple Choice	Configuration	Mapping table	Not used
Manage Acquisitions Alerts	Configuration		Can enable/disable alerts, but not edit--May want to disable some alerts, e.g. "the bib record is brief"
Create Purchase Request	Alma Acquisitions
Manage Import Profiles	Alma Acquisitions		Should be able to manage import profiles with read-only (though there's a workaround necessary to make this work)
Exchange Rates Report	Alma Acquisitions		Not relevant since all institutions are executing transactions in USD
Open Metadata Editor	Alma Resources		Should already be able to use MDE with Cataloging Manager/Operator role
HealthCheck Dashboard	Alma Admin
Manage Recommendations	Alma Admin		DARA recommendations
Run a Job	Alma Admin		Can run acquisitions jobs with Purchasing Manager/Operator role
Monitor Jobs	Alma Admin		Should work with read-only Acq Admin role
Manage Sets	Alma Admin		Should work with read-only Acq Admin role
Manage Exports	Alma Admin		Should work with read-only Acq Admin role

 

Presentations

• Acquisitions Administrator Guidelines
• Acquisitions Administrator Role Training 07/31/2023
• Acquisitions Administrator Role Training 10/25/2022
• Alma Acquisitions Configuration Options