Create physical storage location and Box label reports¶

Create a global physical storage report¶

AtoM includes a global physical storage report that can be generated via the user interface from the Physical storage module and downloaded as a CSV file from the Jobs page. This report is focused on container relations (i.e. physical storage containers linked to other entity types in AtoM, such as archival description and accession records), and can also be used to identify unlinked containers. Export options on the report generation page allow users to choose which of these criteria should be included when creating the report:

The report will include 1 row for every relation - meaning that a single container might appear in multiple rows of the CSV report, showing each time the storage container has been linked to a description or accession.

The image below shows 3 rows from an example report, as an example. The first row below the column headers displays an unlinked container - that is, a container in the physical storage module that is not linked to any descriptions or accessions. The second and third rows show a single container (named “X40”) linked to an accession record and a description:

Report columns

Below is a summary of the columns included in the global physical storage report.

• physicalObjectName: The name assigned to the physical storage container.
• physicalObjectLocation: The location assigned to the storage container. In AtoM’s data entry for the physical storage module, this is a free-text field.
• physicalObjectType: The type of storage container. These values are derived from the Physical Object Types taxonomy in AtoM’s data entry for the physical storage module.
• holdingType: Describes the type of relation in this row. If the container is not linked to any other entities, this will be blank. If the row describes a relation with an archival description, the value will be description. If the row describes a relation with an accession record, the value will be accession.
• holdingIdentifier: The identifier of the related record. If holdingType is “description”, then this value will be an archival description identifier. If holdingType is “accession” then this value will be an accession’s primary accession number. If the container is unlinked, this column will be blank.
• holdingTitle: The title of the related resource (either archival description or accession record). If the container is unlinked, this column will be blank.
• levelOfDescription: Applies only to related archival descriptions. Will show the level of description assigned to the related record.
• holdingSlug: The slug of the related record. If the container is unlinked, this column will be blank.

To export a global report of physical storage container relations:

1. Click on the “Manage” menu and Select “Physical storage” from the drop-down list.

2. AtoM will take you to the Browse physical storage screen.

3. At the bottom of the page in the button block, click the button that says “Export storage report”.

4. AtoM will redirect you to a report configuration page, with three options:

   • Include unlinked containers: containers that are not currently linked to any other entity will be included in the report when checked.
   • Include containers linked to accessions: containers that are linked to accession records will be included in the report when checked.
   • Include containers linked to descriptions: containers that are linked to archival description records will be included in the report when checked.

   You can uncheck options as desired - for example, if you only want to identify what storage containers are not currently being used in AtoM, you could check only “Include unlinked containers” and uncheck the other two options. When you have configured your choice, click the “Export” button to begin the report generation.

Note

You must choose at least one of the three configuration options, or the report will not export. Instead, AtoM will show a warning notification and direct you back to the configuration options to update your selection.

5. Once the Export button has been clicked, AtoM will reload the page and display a notification letting you know that the report is being generated. The notification includes a hyperlink to the Jobs page, where the report can be downloaded once finalized. You can click this link now to go to the Jobs page, or navigate there anytime via Manage > Jobs.

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Create a physical storage report for an archival unit¶

Users can create a physical storage report from any archival description view page, assuming that physical locations have been associated with those archival descriptions. Reports generated will apply to any descendant records - i.e. lower-level descriptions from the current level. If you want a report for all lower-level descriptions, start from the top-level description and generate the report there.

Reports generated this way are particular to the selected archival unit - for storage location reports that show all related descriptions associated with a storage location, see below, Create physical storage report for a single container.

Physical storage reports generated with this particular workflow in AtoM are generated asynchronously in the background using Gearman, AtoM’s job manager. You will need to make sure that Gearman is properly configured during installation to be able to generate reports - for more information, see: Asynchronous jobs and worker management. Additional information about the status of any report generation job can also be seen via Manage > Jobs - for more information on the Jobs management page in AtoM, see: Manage jobs.

To generate a physical storage report for an archival unit:

1. Navigate to the highest level of description for which you wish to create a physical storage report (e.g, for the physical storage locations of an entire fonds, view the fonds level description, etc). You can do so by searching or browsing to find the description you want - for more information on navigation in AtoM, see: Access content.
2. On the view page of the archival description for which you wish to generate a report, click on the Reports button, found in the right-hand context menu under the “Explore” heading:

3. AtoM will reload the page to display report generation options. Options available will depend on a) whether you are authenticated (i.e. logged in), and b) the lower-level descriptions available in this archival unit. For more information on file and item list reports, see: File and item list reports and printing.

   If there are existing reports previously generated, they will be available for immediate download or viewing. Click on one to view or download it:

4. To generate a new report, click on the Physical storage locations radio button, and then click the “Continue” button in the button block at the bottom of the page.

5. Next AtoM will ask you what format you want the report to be generated in. Available options are CSV or HTML. The CSV option will be provided as a download to be viewed locally, while the HTML option will be opened immediately in your web browser, and can be used for printing (you can always save a local copy by right-clicking and using the “Save page” option).

6. Once you have selected a report format and clicked “Continue,” AtoM will reload the page and return you to the view page for the related archival description. A notification will appear at the top of the page, letting you know that report generation has started.

   

   To check on the status and retrieve your report when it is ready, you can either click on the Reports button in the right-hand context menu again, or you can use the link to the reports page provided in the notification. When completed, your reports will appear in the “Existing reports” section of the Reports page, as shown in Step 5.

For HTML reports, clicking them will open them immediately in your web browser. You can use the “Back” button to return to the reports page, and if you wish to save a local copy, Right-click anywhere on the page and use the “Save as” option in your browser to save a local copy.

For CSV reports, clicking them will trigger a download. You will need a local application to view the file - we recommend a spreadsheet application such as LibreOffice Calc.

The example below shows a Physical storage report generated as HTML, and opened in a web browser. You can select “print” from your browser and print the report, or you can use your browser’s “Back” button to exit the report view page.

In the HTML report, users can click on a hyperlink container name and AtoM will take you to the related View physical storage screen.

You can choose to edit the physical storage by selecting the “edit” button in the button block,see Edit current container. You can choose to delete the physical storage by selecting the “delete” button in the button block. For more information on working with physical storage locations, see: Physical storage.

You can also click on the print icon in the title bar and AtoM will take you to a print preview page, showing all the contents of that physical storage location.

Alternatively, on the View physical storage screen you can click on the hyperlink associated with a specific record and AtoM will take you to the View archival description screen for that record.

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Create physical storage report for a single container¶

AtoM also provides a simple report that lists all archival description records associated with a particular storage location. This report is optimized for printing, and can be accessed via the Physical storage module. For more information on working with the Physical storage module, see:

• Physical storage

To view the container physical storage report:

1. Click on the “Manage” menu and Select “Physical storage” from the drop-down list.

2. AtoM will take you to the Browse physical storage screen. All containers are listed by name, location and type. You can sort by Name or Location.

3. Click on the hyperlink container name and AtoM takes you to the View Physical storage screen.

4. To view the storage report, click on the print icon in the title bar and AtoM will take you to a print preview page, showing all the contents of that physical storage location.

Alternatively, on the View physical storage screen you can click on the hyperlink associated with a specific record and AtoM will take you to the View archival description screen for that record.

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Generate a box label report via the Reports module¶

Users can create a simple physical storage report that can be used to create box labels for your physical storage, via the Reports module associated with an archival description. The report includes columns for the following:

• Reference code
• Physical object name (i.e. container name)
• Title of the related archival description
• Creation date of the archival description

This report can be generated from any archival description view page, assuming that physical storage locations have been associated with those archival descriptions. Reports generated will apply to any descendant records - i.e. lower-level descriptions from the current level. If you want a report for all lower-level descriptions, start from the top-level description and generate the report there.

Reports generated this way are particular to the selected archival unit - for storage location reports that show all related descriptions associated with a storage location, see above, Create physical storage report for a single container.

Box label reports in AtoM are generated asynchronously in the background using Gearman, AtoM’s job manager. You will need to make sure that Gearman is properly configured during installation to be able to generate reports - for more information, see: Asynchronous jobs and worker management. Additional information about the status of any report generation job can also be seen via Manage > Jobs - for more information on the Jobs management page in AtoM, see: Manage jobs.

To generate a box label report for an archival unit:

1. Navigate to the highest level of description for which you wish to create a box label report (e.g, for the box labels of an entire fonds, view the fonds level description, etc). You can do so by searching or browsing to find the description you want - for more information on navigation in AtoM, see: Access content.
2. On the view page of the archival description for which you wish to generate a report, click on the Reports button, found in the right-hand context menu under the “Explore” heading:

3. AtoM will reload the page to display report generation options. Options available will depend on a) whether you are authenticated (i.e. logged in), and b) the lower-level descriptions available in this archival unit. For more information on file and item list reports, see: File and item list reports and printing.

   If there are existing reports previously generated, they will be available for immediate download or viewing. Click on one to view or download it:

4. To generate a new report, click on the Box labels radio button, and then click the “Continue” button in the button block at the bottom of the page.

5. Next AtoM will ask you what format you want the report to be generated in. Available options are CSV or HTML. The CSV option will be provided as a download to be viewed locally, while the HTML option will be opened immediately in your web browser, and can be used for printing (you can always save a local copy by right-clicking and using the “Save page” option).

6. Once you have selected a report format and clicked “Continue,” AtoM will reload the page and return you to the view page for the related archival description. A notification will appear at the top of the page, letting you know that report generation has started.

   

   To check on the status and retrieve your report when it is ready, you can either click on the Reports button in the right-hand context menu again, or you can use the link to the reports page provided in the notification. When completed, your reports will appear in the “Existing reports” section of the Reports page, as shown in Step 3.

For HTML reports, clicking them will open them immediately in your web browser. You can use the “Back” button to return to the reports page, and if you wish to save a local copy, Right-click anywhere on the page and use the “Save as” option in your browser to save a local copy.

For CSV reports, clicking them will trigger a download. You will need a local application to view the file - we recommend a spreadsheet application such as LibreOffice Calc.

The example below shows a Box label report generated as HTML, and opened in a web browser. You can select “print” from your browser and print the report, or you can use your browser’s “Back” button to exit the report view page.

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