Data Testing

by Enica Davis on Feb 13, 2023

The following list helps you check to make sure that your data has migrated properly. Please take the time to thoroughly check your data before you go live.

Please note that the test site contains a snapshot of your current ILS when you first did the initial data extract.

Borrower fields

• Search for patrons and take a note of the following:
  • Library branch
  • Patron types or category codes
  • Check whether all the patron information have been mapped correctly
    • Last name and first name
    • Address
    • Email address
    • Phone number
    • Borrower notes and/or messages, if any
    • Borrower debarments or restrictions, if any
    • Borrower attributes, if any

Bibliographic records and items

• Check some of your titles with diacritics and make sure that they migrated properly.
• Check titles in a series and make sure that series information migrated properly.
• Search the catalog and make sure the item fields migrated over properly:
  • Item types
  • Item call numbers
  • Shelving locations
  • Collection codes
  • Public notes
  • Non public notes
  • Serials/enumeration (i.e. v.1, v.2, September 2020)

• Check for the item status and make sure that they migrated correctly.
• If you are migrating over serials, search for these records in the serials module and confirm that they look right.
• Check the cataloging process to see if all necessary fields are available.

Circulation Transactions (checkouts, holds, and fines)

• If you've migrated over holds, find borrower/patron accounts that have holds. This is very important. During the migration process, depending on the quality of the data, holds can be a bit "rocky" (so to speak) patch during the migration. If you have any questions as to what to expect, please ask your Educator and/or migration specialist.
  • Check to see if you can view the holds.
  • Check to see if the pickup branches look accurate.
  • Check suspended holds.
  • Did you migrate over waiting/on-the-shelf holds? Check to see how that everything appears to be in order.

• If you've migrated over fines, find borrower/patron accounts that have fines. Compare the data to what you've initially extracted and check the following:
  • Did the fine types (lost, overdue, etc) migrate over correctly?
  • Are you able to view all the fines?
  • If you've migrated over partially paid fines, are they calculating properly?

As you've probably heard by now, the data migration process is a very fluid process. Your data migration specialist can refine your data throughout the migration process, so let them know if there's anything that needs to be updated with the data.

Additional resources

Data Testing

Pre Training