1. What platform is your TMS database? (Oracle or SQL Server)
SQL
2. What platform is your eMuseum database? (Oracle or SQL Server)
SQL
3. The standard data refresh process is comprised of several steps
(make snapshot, thumbnailer, full-text concat). How are you running the
refresh process on your eMuseum data? (Manually executing? Via Windows
batch file? DTS? Other?) And why was your particular method chosen?
The full refresh is a SQL job on the Smithsonian TMS cluster server that
handles the data refresh and the transfer tasks. We definitely need the
full-text concat because we want users to be able to search first and
last names without entering the middle name of a person. We intend to
run the refresh weekly, but it has taken us a while to get it fully
automated on the new servers. There are several Smithsonian museums
using their own eMuseum applications. More than one museum uses the
Smithsonian eMuseum servers.
4. Approximately how many records are being exported into eMuseum?
Currently 88,521.
5. Who are your eMuseum users? (internal staff? external internet
traffic? something else?)
Staff and external internet as well as four kiosks in the galleries.
6. What are your thoughts about user satisfaction/experience with the
application?
We are always rethinking and changing the query fields. It would have
been much easier to go with the default screens, but we are still not
convinced that users find the default queries intuitive. We've gotten
few complaints about the search itself. Our biggest complaint is that
we don't have enough images online. That is a copyright problem and has
nothing to with the application.
7. What kinds of customizations did you implement?
We customized the whole advanced query screen with our own menu rather
than using the default eMuseum queries. We loosely modeled our advanced
queries after an earlier version of the American National Biographies
advanced search. It was very important for us that users could search on
people, biographical information, and thesaurus terms. We wanted to make
it very clear to users what fields of information they could search;
however, by specifying each field, we did lose some of the flexibility
of the default searches.
8. What kinds of services/support did GS provide for your project?
We have a Developers license so that we could run more than one profile
of eMuseum. We contracted GS for all customization and to upgrade the
customizations to newer versions. The yearly maintenance does include
excellent support for bugs, problems, refreshing the data, and necessary
upgrades.
9. Any other comments about your eMuseum development experience that
might be useful to someone following in your shoes?
I wish we had staff who could write SQL scripts. I would like to have
the whole ap reskinned with a more up-to-date and aesthetically pleasing
web design. We would like to see some changes in the way My Collection
works.
Linda Thrift, CEROS Administrator
Center for Electronic Research and Outreach Services
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012
Victor Building Suite 4100, MRC 973
Washington DC 20013-7012
Tel 202-633-8247
Fax 202-633-8254
Email [log in to unmask]
url www.npg.si.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: The Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Brenda Podemski
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 7:30 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: eMuseum: How are you refreshing your data? How is it working
for you?
(I've been having difficulties sending this to the list and have
contacted some of you individually, so my sincere apologies if you
receive multiple copies of this message--no need to reply more than
once!)
Greetings -
We are trying to implement eMuseum for in-house use here at the Getty,
and have been having internal discussions about how best to refresh the
data.
In order to gauge how people are already using it, here is a short,
informal poll of sorts for users out there who [are currently/have used]
eMuseum at their institutions. I am especially interested in hearing
from any Oracle users (I know you're out there), but welcome all input
since we are looking at both platforms.
* * * * *
1. What platform is your TMS database? (Oracle or SQL Server)
2. What platform is your eMuseum database? (Oracle or SQL Server)
3. The standard data refresh process is comprised of several steps
(make snapshot, thumbnailer, full-text concat). How are you running the
refresh process on your eMuseum data? (Manually executing? Via Windows
batch file? DTS? Other?) And why was your particular method chosen?
4. Approximately how many records are being exported into eMuseum?
5. Who are your eMuseum users? (internal staff? external internet
traffic? something else?)
6. What are your thoughts about user satisfaction/experience with the
application?
7. What kinds of customizations did you implement?
8. What kinds of services/support did GS provide for your project?
9. Any other comments about your eMuseum development experience that
might be useful to someone following in your shoes?
* * * * *
Replies may be sent directly to me if you prefer. Many thanks in
advance for any information you are willing to share!
Best,
Brenda
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Brenda Podemski
Business Applications Administrator
Collections Information & Access
The J. Paul Getty Museum
www.getty.edu
v. 310-440-7087 | f. 310-440-7752 | e. [log in to unmask]
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