Dematic EMS documentation

Owned by Holly Tomren
Last updated: Sept 24, 2019
4 min read

Dematic training materials

Menu options

  • Refresh - the data will refresh periodically, but you can also force a data refresh
  • Options - lets you customize which columns display. You can also drag and drop columns to re-order them. You can also set the timing for how often you want the data to refresh.
  • Print - if you find that you would like to print something from EMS, the printer settings will need to be configured by LTS; but in the meantime you can print to PDF, or export to CSV.
  • Export to CSV - this can be helpful if you'd like a report to work with in Excel
  • Filter - this allows you to search or limit your results - for example, you can search for a specific barcode, or you can display all items that do not have a store date. 
    • You can save any custom filters and name them for easy retrieval
    • % is the wild card symbol
    • Grouping is available for more complex nested queries
    • The operators "in list" or "not in list" can be used to query a list of multiple identifiers at once
  • Sort - as with filtering, you can sort by any column and save custom sort settings
  • View - the view setting lets you customize filter AND sort settings in one place
  • Records per page (at the bottom of the screen) - customize how many records display per screen, or show all (note: if you print or export CSV it will only export the records currently being displayed)
  • Note: any changes to settings, and/or custom filters/sort/views, are specific to your EMS login

Inventory tab (Container Management)

The inventory tab lists all items in the EMS inventory and their status. Columns include:

  • Item Number = barcode (limited to 14 digits)
  • Circulation status (not to be confused with Alma circulation status)
    • Available = item is stored in a bin and is available to be picked
    • Delivered = item is in inventory but is not currently stored so it is not available to be picked; either it is checked out or it has not yet been stored for the first time
    • Lost = item was stored in a bin, but was not found after either an audit or a pick request
  • Container ID = identifier for the bin
    • the regular collection bins are referred to as "mini-load" and start with "ML" followed by the aisle number (01-04)
    • Special collections bins are referred to as "unit-load" and have a different identifier scheme
  • Sector Position = which sector the item is stored in
    • Book bins are divided into 6 sectors: 1A,1B,1C,2A,2B,2C
    • DVD bins are divided into 12 sectors: 1A,1B,1C,1D,2A,2B,2C,2D,3A,3B,3C,3D
  • Bin Type
    • All the book bins are ML-3
    • All the SCRC bins are UL-6
    • DVD/Microform bins are ML-6
  • Bin Height
    • Book bins are 8", 10", or 12"
    • SCRC bins are 24"
    • DVD/Microform bins are 8"
  • Title = 245$a as imported from Alma; note that diacritics are often garbled
  • Author = 1XX as imported from Alma; note that diacritics are often garbled
  • Call Number = Permanent holdings call number as imported from Alma; does not include numbering from item description (not sure if/how temporary or item level call numbers are handled on import)
  • Local
    • yes = inventory was added directly to the EMS system (as in the case of SCRC records) and is not connected to Alma
    • no = inventory is connected to Alma
  • Audited = yes/no if an Audit Inventory has been performed (Auditing allows staff to scan all the items in a bin to confirm inventory, as part of quality assurance)
  • Audit Date = timestamp of last audit
  • Store Date = timestamp of last store
  • Pick Date = timestamp of last pick 
  • Storage Type
    • random = item can be returned to any bin of the same size
    • dedicated = item must be returned to the same bin every time (used only by SCRC)

Work Requests tab

The work requests tab logs all of the incoming messages to the system.

There are 5 main types of messages:

  • Inventory Add = when an Alma item record or holdings record with ASRS location code is added or updated, or when a SCRC record is manually added
  • Inventory Delete - when an Alma item record or holdings record with ASRS location code is moved out of an ASRS location or withdrawn, or when a SCRC record is manually deleted
  • Store = when an item is stored/returned in an ASRS bin
  • Pick = when an ASRS item is requested via Alma (or requested manually by staff with the admin role)
  • Audit = when a staff member inventories the contents of a bin

Columns are similar to the Inventory tab, with additional columns that pertain to managing requests.

An important thing to note in the Work Request is the Status Code column, which will indicate if there were any errors with the transaction.

Notable status codes include:

  • 0 = no errors
  • 2 = item is not stored
  • 3 = item is not in EMS database
  • 4 = item is "lost" in EMS database
  • 6 = bad item number (blank or malformed barcode)
  • 8 = item is already in EMS database
  • 9 = item is stored
  • 12 = item is in a "locked" bin

There are several time stamps associated with work requests:

  • Receive Time = the time EMS receives the message (from Alma or manually)
  • Schedule Time = the time EMS schedules action on the message (usually the same as receive time, but may be delayed if SRMs are off; for example if a pick request is received after hours, it will be scheduled for the next morning)
  • Active Time = the time the bin arrives at the pick station (n/a for Adds and Deletes)
  • Transmit Time = the time the work request is completed (n/a for Audits); for a pick, when the item is scanned.

Alma-Dematic Integration

  • Ex Libris Documentation
  • Temple location codes with Dematic integration:
    • ASRS ASRS
    • ASRS media
    • ASRS reference
  • Update Remote Storage Inventory job is scheduled for every 2 hours
  • Note: Alma-Dematic integration is one-way only. Alma sends inventory & request info to EMS but does not receive any messages back. Alma messages only communicate barcode, title, author, and call number; for requests, it also sends patron barcode, patron name, and pickup location. There is no synchronization of item process/status between EMS and Alma.