[Evergreen-reports] Report Template Folders

[Jessica Venturo]

Hi Beth,

FWIW, in a future version of Evergreen (2.4 I think?), an enhancement has
been added that will sort template names alphabetically.  We have this
enhancement running in production and it is fantastic.  I think libraries
are able to find shared reports a lot more quickly and easily.

We do still run into problems occasionally because, as you said, a lot of
the reports have similar names and descriptions and do similar things.  I
recently went through the folders and tweaked the names of some of the
templates trying to make them clearer.  If you have access to your database,
changing the names of your templates there is SO much easier than cloning
them and deleting the original!

One of our librarians suggested that we incorporate numbers into our
template names so we can tell them "You need template #XYZ" instead of
giving them the long convoluted name that the templates usually end up with.
I would like to do that, but I'm trying to figure out a way to do it that is
simple and makes sense, and doesn't defeat the purpose of alphabetizing the
templates.  I don't really like the idea of having to look up the template
ID number to tag onto the end of the name every time I add a report to the
shared folders, but maybe that's what I'll end up doing should we decide we
need to implement a numbering system.

I hope this helps, and I hope we hear from some library systems and
consortia.  I'm sure the organization of report folders is a common dilemma.

Thanks,
Jessica

---
Jessica Venturo
Applications Support Specialist
 Bibliomation, Inc.
24 Wooster Ave.
Waterbury, CT 06708
 203-577-4070 ext. 105


-----Original Message-----
From: evergreen-reports-bounces at list.evergreen-ils.org
[mailto:evergreen-reports-bounces at list.evergreen-ils.org] On Behalf Of Beth
Willis
Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 9:56 AM
To: evergreen-reports at list.evergreen-ils.org
Subject: [Evergreen-reports] Report Template Folders

We have created dozens of shared report templates for our member libraries
to use and to clone.  These templates are located in folders such as "Lists
of Items," "Counts of Items," "Circulation," 
"Acquisitions," etc.  In some folders there are many templates, include
several templates with similar functions, similar names and descriptions.
Consequently, it can be very difficult for library staff to identify the
correct template for their desired report.

Since there currently is no way to control the order in which the report
templates display, we are trying to come up with some alternative way to
organize these templates.

Have others developed systems for organizing their report templates more
effectively?  If so, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks.
beth



Beth Willis
Digital & Catalog Librarian
NOBLE, Inc.
26 Cherry Hill Drive
Danvers, MA 01923



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