[Koha-bugs] [Bug 10627] history of reports run/results

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.koha-community.org]

http://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=10627

Claire Elliott <celliott at dawsoncollege.qc.ca> changed:

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--- Comment #2 from Claire Elliott <celliott at dawsoncollege.qc.ca> ---
(In reply to Galen Charlton from comment #1)
> To flesh this out a bit:
> 
> - Are we talking about guided/SQL reports?
> - Should report results be kept forever?  For a specific length of time (or
> until purged)?  How long?
> - Should results be retained for all reports?  Or should this be decided per
> report?  Or per each run of the report?
> - Does there need to be a permission for seeing finished saved report
> results?
> - Does there need to be a permission for deleting/purging saved report
> results?
> - Should there be constraints on which staff members should be able to see
> saved report results?
> - Should saved report results be stored in the database?  In the filesystem?
> Is there a size limit we should enforce?


Just to clarify where we are coming from... Our college library has just
migrated to Koha from SirsiDynix's Symphony ILS. In Symphony, "Reports" are
pre-formatted/pre-loaded in the "WorkFlows" staff client, so you cannot create
new ones at will. Also, as Nicole pointed out to us, Symphony's single
"Reports" utility lumps together different functions which are, in Koha,
divided between "Reports" and "Tools".  

(1) "Reports" are used to generate a list, or count, of bibliographic or item
records, based on a specific set of limits/criteria; while
(2) "Tools" are used carry out specific actions on the system, such as:
staging/importing a batch of MARC records; generating notices/slips; batch
modifying items...       

What Symphony provides, which Koha does not (yet), is a "Finished Reports" list
that a staff member can always revisit to view the results/products of running
a specific "Report" or "Tool", at a specific point in time. 

Each "Finished Report" is formatted/stored as a simple .txt file, and each
record contains both: 
(a) a description of the specific criteria/action taken, at a specific time, to
produce the particular listing of item/bib records ("reports") or desired
changes to the system ("tool"), and 
(b) the actual list of records or outcomes that resulted from running a
"report" or "tool" at that point in time. 

I hope this helps others understand what we are aiming for, but to answer your
specific questions...


- Are we talking about guided/SQL reports?

Yes, we are talking about Koha's "Guided/SQL reports" (those "saved" within our
local installation), but we are also talking about logging/recording the
outcomes of using Koha's various "Tools"... 

Whether these "Finished Reports" appear in a single list is not important, but
we would like to be able to go back and see what specific results/outcomes were
achieved by running "x" Report or Tool, at "y" point in time.   


- Should report results be kept forever?  For a specific length of time (or
until purged)?  How long?

The proposed records should be kept indefinitely, until purged by a staff
member. 


- Should results be retained for all reports?  Or should this be decided per
report?  Or per each run of the report?

These option should be flexible and ever-presnt. The default selected option (
presented at the moment the command is sent to 'run') should be to retain the
result of any/all runs of an established report/tool. However, it would be good
to have the option, with each run of each report/tool, to not automatically
store the result in the system. 

(A staff member would, of course, always have the option, when viewing the
record of any just-run report/tool, of saving the file to a personal
computer/network directory of their choice, outside of the Koha system/server.)


- Does there need to be a permission for seeing finished saved report results?

Staff permissions to view these finished/saved reports would correspond with
existing access privileges. If a staff member's profile has permission to
generate reports or to use a specific tool, they will be able to view any
finished/saved report in any corresponding list. 


- Does there need to be a permission for deleting/purging saved report results?

As above, if a staff member is permitted to run and to view outcomes of
reports/tools, they should have the option to delete/purge records from
corresponding lists. 


- Should there be constraints on which staff members should be able to see
saved report results?

As above. 


- Should saved report results be stored in the database?  In the filesystem?  

Without any clear/expert grasp of how and where Koha currently stores all of
the different data elements in the system, my instinct is to say these records
should not be stored in the database, but elsewhere within the file system:
perhaps in the same general area where existing "logs" are kept. 


- Is there a size limit we should enforce?

A size limit probably should be enforced, but should be generous without being
ludicrous. Perhaps a prompt could be developed that would inform the staff when
90% of the allocated space has been used, and that it is time to purge some
content to make room for new reports (and/or to save/archive selected records
to an external directory, e.g., on personal computers/networks outside of the
Koha system/server)? 

This option to view/save a finished report to a personal/shared directory
should always be available, as should the option to purge.  

This is my first submission/reply on the system, and I imagine much lengthier
than anyone expected, but I hope it is clear and will be happy to answer any
other questions that may arise. 

Thank you Nicole for opening this thread on our behalf, and thank you Galen for
your interest.

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