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Moving from a PHP Flat-File Electronic Resources Manager to Drupal 6 Views

Moving from a PHP Flat-File Electronic Resources Manager to Drupal 6 Views. Junior Tidal New York City College of Technology, CUNY code4lib NE, Yale University October 26, 2012. The Challenge of Electronic Resource Management (ERM). E-resources can be a hassle to manage

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Moving from a PHP Flat-File Electronic Resources Manager to Drupal 6 Views

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  1. Moving from a PHP Flat-File Electronic Resources Manager to Drupal 6 Views Junior Tidal New York City College of Technology, CUNYcode4lib NE, Yale UniversityOctober 26, 2012

  2. The Challenge of Electronic Resource Management (ERM) • E-resources can be a hassle to manage • Lack of back-end accessibility to the library website • Lack of a collaborative environment • Software and security challenges: lack of MySQL, shell access, and file permissions.

  3. How did we work around these challenges? • Solution required an easier way to manage ERM. • The solution also required compatibility for the server’s configuration. • FTP access for files (through Dreamweaver) • PHP 3 compatible • Solution could compensate for security lockdown

  4. What is a flat-file database? • A flat-file database is a tabular database that uses plain text file as storage. • The flat-file consists of a single entry with keys and attributes on each new line within the file, separated by a delimiter. • There are no built-in relationships between records.

  5. Example of a Flat-File Entry Academic Search Complete (EBSCO)|http://citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=ehost&defaultdb=a9h|http://library.citytech.cuny.edu/research/annotations/index.php#ASP|The largest scholarly, multidisciplinary, full-text database.|09-03-2009

  6. PHP Implementation • The server script consisted for a PHP file that would retrieve results from the flat-file. • The flat-file contents would be rendered in HTML and displayed to the end user. • The flat-file was accessible to a number of librarian.

  7. PHP Script for Flat-File Database Loading http://snipt.org/vghfe9#expand

  8. Migrating to Drupal 6 • Library was able to get their own server. • This opened up many possibilities including a new OS (Linux), software, statistics recording and experimentation. • We were now able to utilize the Drupal 6 content management system

  9. Drupal Views • After migrating the website content to Drupal, we still needed a way for ERM. • Using work based on Leo Klein, we were able to use Drupal to manage our eResources • We used the built-in Taxonomy module and the following custom modules: • Content Construction Kit (CCK) • Views

  10. Drupal Views and eResources • eResources are stored as a custom content type in Drupal • The Taxonomy module is used to assign type and subject to each eResource • Editable attributes of eResources such as the name, URL, and description, are pulled based on selecting a subject • These resources are displayed to the user

  11. Advantages of Using Views • Smoother workflow, less work • Collaborative environment • Single versions of the database • Subject specific eResources are stored in a single database • Content is stored in a MySQL database which is easier for migration and backups • Maintenance is done through Drupal

  12. Disadvantages of Views • Learning curve of Views • Lack of date control through Views • eResources are dependent on Views and subsequent updates and maintenance • FFDB doesn’t require as much as Views • FFDB can be more flexible than Views

  13. Conclusion • Challenge of ERM management • Flat-file databases can be used to overcome restrictive server environments • They offer few advantages in comparison to Drupal Views • Views provides a more collaborative and smoother workflow

  14. Questions?

  15. Thanks! Junior Tidal New York City College of Technology, CUNY jtidal@citytech.cuny.edu @juniortidal

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