Customer Bulletin Spring 2017

Welcome to Ringgold’s first customer bulletin of 2017. Spring promises to be a productive time for Ringgold.

Development work on our new Identify Online interface continues, we have updated our API to include Open Funder IDs, and we are now happy to offer Identify Database delta exports to all customers that want them. We are already well into conference season and will be heading to ER&L, UKSG and then SSP. We will hold a User Group meeting at SSP and then a further meeting in the UK in December, so please sign up, share your experiences and in our planning for the future.

Jay Henry, CMO.

Join us at the 2017 User Group Meetings

We are pleased to announce the 2017 Ringgold Identify Database User Group meetings, being held in conjunction with the SSP Annual Meeting and in Central London in December. This is an opportunity to learn about new ways to leverage and implement Identify data, share expertise with fellow publishers who understand the benefits of standardized data, and help shape the future of the Identify Database.

  • US – Identify User Group Meeting & Happy Hour at SSP, Boston MA, 5:00 pm June 2.
  • UK – Identify User Group Meeting in London, London W1, 2:00 pm December 4.

Speakers will be confirmed nearer the time. These sessions are free for our valued Clients, and space is limited so please Contact Us now to register.

Conference season is upon us

We’re looking forward to hearing about your aims and goals for 2017 during this year’s conferences. Visit the Ringgold team at the following stands:

  • UKSG 40th Annual Conference *stand 27*
  • SSP 39th Annual Meeting *booth 212A*

We’ll also be attending ER&L in April. Do get in touch if you’d like to make an appointment to meet with us.

Identify Database delta exports now available

Following customer testing we are now able to supply Identify Database delta exports weekly to customers. Delta exports represent only the database records that have changed over a week. If you would like more information about the supply of deltas then please contact your account manager or support@ringgold.com.

Identify web service update

Version 2.4 of the Identify Database API service now includes Academic Classifications and Open Funder Registry IDs. Complete and updated documentation for this service can be found here: http://support.ringgold.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Ringgold-Identify-Database-Web-Service-v240.pdf

Development news: Identify Online new interface

A complete rebuild of Identify Online continues. Major infrastructure work is now completed, and feature refinement is well underway. Internal testing will be expanded this spring.

This project has been conducted in parallel to the ongoing business of Ringgold; this has presented both challenges and opportunities. As the Identify Database undergoes normal improvements and updates, the new application must be adapted in real-time. Likewise, the aspirations of the new Identify Online system have informed improvements in Identify data. Our goal is to deliver a system that leverages the depth of both Ringgold and customer data to maximum effect, with minimum effort.

While we are eager to release the new platform, our first priority is to ensure a high quality user experience. This requires a commitment to spending the necessary time and resources. We appreciate your patience while we continue to build the next generation of Identify Online.

Spring Cleaning for better Data Quality

Consistent, current, and complete data can fuel positive change in your business – from the accurate handling of a customer query to improved enterprise reporting. Ringgold can help improve your data – institutional customers, partners, and affiliations – and ensure it’s fit for all business purposes.

Request a data health check-up with us; our data team will analyze your records, and recommend a path toward better data quality.
Click to request your free Data Health Check-Up

Audit Service System Files Tech Tip

When opening export files from Ringgold, please remember to always check your file types. We have provided some detailed advice for opening .csv files in Excel on our Support Site here.

Identify Database policy change

The following metadata fields have been retired as they were not being used: Alt Names Type BN (Brand Name); Alt Url Type BS (Brand Site). Updated documents:

Keeping Identify up-to-date

Since the new year, Ringgold’s production team have updated over 14,000 existing records in the Identify Database. This has included a review of Ringgold ID 28250 Universidad Tecnologica Nacional and its associated records. We also looked at Ringgold ID 1657 Hogskulen pa Vestlandet, which has been updated to reflect the merger of several other universities.

In the corporate health sector we have made structural changes to:

  • Ringgold ID 2194 Genzyme Corp, acquired by Sanofi
  • Ringgold ID 101521 Nucleus Global Atlanta, hierarchy changes
  • Ringgold ID 17421 Alcami Corp, name changes
  • Ringgold ID 164090 Fresenius SE and Co KGaA, over 300 records in the hierarchy have been reviewed
  • Ringgold ID 111230  Nacionalna Akademija Nauk Ukraini, updated English names in the hierarchy

Public health sector
We are reviewing the entire Ringgold ID 2394 National Health Service hierarchy in the UK, with NHS Scotland and NHS Wales already completed. Work on NHS Scotland included a major reorganization of hospitals in Glasgow.

Consortium Directory Online maintenance & growth

All 1000 members have now been added to the consortium Ringgold ID 70135 LYRASIS record. We have also been busy updating the member list for Ringgold ID 200003 Electronic Information Service National Programme, which is based in Budapest.

In addition, the team have recently added the following new records to the directory (http://www.ringgold.com/cdo):

  • Ringgold ID 59272 New Hampshire College and University Council
  • Ringgold ID 181939 Private Academic Library Network of Indiana
  • Ringgold ID 236735 Victorian Health Libraries Consortium
  • Ringgold ID 389089 ConnectNY

Please let us know if there’s a record you wish us to review immediately or if there’s other consortia you’d like to see included. You can email us at support@ringgold.com, or you can reach us via the dedicated CDO feedback form.

Easter availability

Ringgold services will be operating normally over the Easter weekend, April 14 – April 17, but with reduced staffing levels during the UK Bank Holidays. Emails will be monitored during the holiday period, although customers may not hear from their usual contact. Please send any issues or questions to support@ringgold.com.

Validate will be available, with customers receiving reports as normal. Identify will be updated on April 14 as usual.

Customer Support
Our customer support website is available 24/7 at http://support.ringgold.com. Find help for all of our products and easy access to user guides, editorial policies and latest news.