Find authority records that are in multiple record sets

Clearinghouse Repository Polaris Repository
1

As discussed during the July 2024 Cataloging Zoom forum, if you go to delete authority records, you’ll be prompted with a pop-up if the authority is present in any other record sets or has any See or See Also links.

Consider voting :ballot_box: AND commenting on this idea to improve this process.

To find other record sets an authority might belong to:

  • Create a record set with the authority records you’d like to delete. Note the RECORD SET ID
  • Adjust the following SQL to use this record set id:
SELECT recordsetid
FROM polaris.polaris.AuthorityRecordSets
WHERE authorityrecordid IN (
    SELECT authorityrecordid
    FROM polaris.polaris.AuthorityRecordSets
    WHERE recordsetid = PUTRECORDSETIDHERE
)
AND recordsetid <> PUTRECORDSETIDHERE
  • Open a Record Set Find Tool and switch to SQL search mode.
  • Paste in the SQL above and select Search
  • The other record sets that contain the authority records from the first step will be shown.
  • CONFIRM THOSE OTHER RECORD SETS ARE NOT NEEDED
  • Delete the unneeded RECORD SETS. This REMOVES THE ENTIRE RECORD SET. It doesn’t simply remove one record from the record set.
  • Now the authority records will only be in the one remaining record set that you are using to delete them from. You should get fewer pop ups when you go to delete the authority records.
2

I deleted AND purged all the superfluous record sets and still got a TON of pop-ups that these authority records are in 1-2 other record sets. Can there be other record sets that I don’t see in my search?

3

You won’t see privately owned record sets. Those sets will have to be updated by the owner and assigned back to the branch.

4

Good catch @carl.ratz ! That makes me really sad though :frowning:

I can’t think of a good non-direct SQL way to account for these. A long term solution would be removing that permission and bulk changing the owner on the current record sets, but again that would require direct SQL access. Do others have any thoughts?

Privately owned record sets should be banished from the earth! Or at least those with global admin rights should be able to see all record sets. In fact, I do see an Idea from @carl.ratz that addresses that very topic: Allow Administration to manage personal (owner) record sets. – Innovate with us consider voting and commenting on that one!

5

There is an enhancement in the idea lab to give admin rights to own record set holders.

Make sure to vote on it.

6

7

You were right! There is an old record set from a staff member who no longer works here and it has over 64k unlinked authority records in it :frowning:

8

If they’re all with one staff member, there is a bit of a sneaky way around needing to recreate their windows account.

  1. Log into Polaris as an admin
  2. Open up the staff account management tool
  3. Find the old account and add it to the admin group, save the change
  4. Look up your account, rename your account to username-temp (replace username with your username), save the change
  5. Open up the old account, rename it to YOUR username
  6. Log off and back onto Polaris as YOUR username
  7. You’re now “impersonating” the old user account and should be able to find and delete those record sets by re-running the SQL.
  8. When your finished, open up the staff account management tool and rename both accounts back to their original usernames.
9

Genius! I already had recreated the account in AD and logged in as him though… so either way the huge annoying record set is gone!

Thanks, everyone!

1 Like