ANDS Online Services Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Questions covered
Authentication, Logins and Passwords:
1. I'm trying to access Register My Data/Publish My Data/Identify My Data and my userid/password won't work. What's wrong?
2. I use an ARCS identity to login as a Data Source Administrator to ANDS Online Services. I have forgotten my password. Can you reset it?
3. Could my colleague use my account while I am on leave?
4. I was asked to provide my AuEdupersonSharedToken or the AAF Token in order to get access to ANDS Production Registry. Is this secure?
Data Source Administration:
5. I am a Data Source Administrator, how do I request for access to the production environment?
6. Do we need a new Agreement form for the new person?
7. I'm moving on to a new role and someone else is going to be the Data Source Administrator for ANDS. What do I need to do?
8. Can I change ‘originating source' when I'm manually entering records?
9. Can I register a functional account as a Data Source Administrator?
Records Troubleshooting:
10. I am a Data Source Administrator and I need to delete a record in the ANDS Registry. How should I go about this?
11. Yesterday I entered a new draft record into the ANDS Registry and now it has disappeared. Can you get it back for me?
12. I used a tool to transform my xml to RIF-CS. As a result, there were empty elements or additional spaces added during the transformation. Can you remove these so thay they are displayed properly in Research Data Australia?
Harvesting Troubleshooting:
13. What's the difference between the harvest methods - 'Direct' and 'Harvester Direct'?
14. Can I use https instead of http as our URI or harvest point?
15. My OAI-PMH harvest does not work. What could be wrong?
16. I have recently changed my harvest schedule to run weekly, however, nothing happend. What could be wrong?
17. My harvest is scheduled to run weekly, and it's next schedule is in the next couple of days, how can I initiate an immediate harvest?
Best Practice:
18. Should I use Register My Data or Publish My Data?
19. I'm entering a record into the ANDS Collections registry using Register My Data. None of the types in a vocabulary list properly describe my data. What should I do?
RIF-CS Schema Change Process:
20. Will RIF-CS ever change? Who decides?
Technical Services:
21. I want to integrate Identify My Data with my software. How do I access this service?
Answers/Solutions:
1. I'm trying to access Register My Data/Publish My Data / Identify My Data and my userid/password won't work. What's wrong?
There could be various reasons why you cannot access ANDS Online Services (Register My Data, Publish My Data or Identify My Data) such as:
a. You are trying to login using local credentials
If you have previously been using the ANDS DEMO environment during a training course, or the ANDS SANDBOX environment while developing your collection descriptions, you will have been using the ‘Login using local credentials' method. This local credentials method is not available to users in the PRODUCTION environment.
Please refer to How to login to ANDS Online Services for detailed instructions.
b. You do not have a valid username and password from the AAF
Access to these ANDS online services is via a username and password that are valid within the Australian Access Federation (AAF). If you are unfamiliar with the AAF there is an excellent video animation explaining how this works at http://www.aaf.edu.au/index.php/about/
Please refer to How to obtain an AAF account for more information or send a mail to services@ands.org.au.
2. I use an ARCS identity to login as a Data Source Administrator to ANDS Online Services. I have forgotten my password. Can you reset it?
ANDS does not have access to reset passwords belonging to ARCS identities. You will need to contact ARCS Customer Service via email customerservice@arcs.org.au or phone 1 800 862 727. You may also contact ARCS for a password reset from this web page: https://idp.arcs.org.au/idp_reg.
Please take note that ARCS IdP will cease operation on the 30th of June 2012. Please refer How to obtain an AAF Account or send a mail to services@ands.org.au.
3. Could my colleague use my account while I am on leave?
No. We strongly discourage sharing of login credentials especially when using your Australian Access Federation (AAF) AuEdupersonSharedToken. You surely do not want your colleague have access to all your other personal and confidential systems!
It is important to note that accounts should be used only by the individual who owns the account.
4. I was asked to provide my AuEdupersonSharedToken or the AAF Token in order to get access to ANDS Production Registry. Is this secure?
The AuEdupersonSharedToken or AAF token is like a userid. It doesn't do anything without a password. Even if this information is provided to ANDS in order to request for access, we will not (and cannot) use it for any other purpose other than for your account creation. Additionally, ANDS never ask for your password and you should not share it with anyone!
5. I am a Data Source Administrator, how do I request access to the production environment?
Before you request access to the ANDS Online Services production environment, we recommend that you first discuss the process with your ANDS Liaison Officer. They should be able to guide and assist you in getting your records ready for production upload.
The complete information on how to get access to ANDS Online services is available here--> Getting an ANDS Online Services account.
For more information, services@ands.org.au.
6. Do we need a new Agreement form for a new Data Source Administrator?
No. The original Provider Agreement is binding on ANDS and your organisation unless one or the other party gives notice of termination of that agreement in writing. Changes to or addition of personnel does not necessitate a new Agreement.
7. I'm moving on to a new role and someone else is going to be the Data Source Administrator for ANDS. What do I need to do?
You need to contact your ANDS liaison officer to let them know that you are moving on. When a replacement is in situ, we will need to get them to inform us via services@ands.org.au of their AAF AuEdupersonSharedToken, and their email address, so we can set them up in the system and on our mailing lists.
8. Can I change ‘originating source' when I'm manually entering records?
No. ANDS Registry will automatically assign ‘originating source' as: 'http://services.ands.org.au/orca/register_my_data". You can export your RIF-CS and modify it, then harvest the modified data. See ANDS Content Providers Guide: http://ands.org.au/guides/cpguide/cpgorigsource.html
9. Can I register a functional account as a Data Source Administrator?
Access to ANDS Online Services is provided to individual users with valid AAF account and we discourage the use of functional (shared) data source administrator account. Individual access ensures accountability and at the same time, supports better account management on the part of both ANDS and the users (users don't have to manage multiple account logins).
We also discourage the creation of built-in functional account for this purpose. However, we look at a possibility of using a built-in account as necessary, such as for urgent creation or modification of a record in the ANDS Registry or as a work-around for management of a handle previously minted through Identify My Data service.
For any issue or concern, please email services@ands.org.au
10. I am a Data Source Administrator and I need to delete a record in the ANDS Registry. How should I go about this?
If you manually entered the record into the Registry that you now want to delete, follow these steps:
1. Login to ANDS Online Services (https://services.ands.org.au/home/login.php) using your username and password
2. You have 2 ways to delete your record:
a. Go to 'Register My Data' > ‘My Registry Objects' > 'Manage My Records'. Look for the record you want to delete. Do not click on the record but rather hit the "Delete" icon on the right side of the screen under ‘Options'. Do this if you are really sure that you have selected the right record to be deleted.
NOTE: Manage My Records will only show the latest 25 records that you have added to the Registry. If the record you want to delete is not there, use option "b" below. Also, if you have just recently added the record you want to delete, you may not see it right away on the Manage My Records screen.
b. Go to 'Collections Registry' > "Search". Find the record you want to delete /edit. Open the record and use the ‘Delete' button at the bottom of the page.
NOTE: You will only have authorisation to delete records for which you are the Data Source Administrator.
If the record was harvested into the Registry, then you will need to remove or edit the record from the harvest point at your institution. If you just delete the record from the registry, next time ANDS harvests your records the record will appear in the Registry again.
If you expose your records via an OAI-PMH repository, you can use OAI-PMH delete to remove specific records from the ANDS Registry.
To do this, you will need to ensure that deleted records are identified in your sets by including the attribute status="deleted" in the header element for each deleted record. These records will be removed from the ANDS registry next time a harvest for your data source is run. This functionality is available since ANDS Software Release 6.
Example of a deleted record:
<record>
<header status="deleted">
<identifier>AODN:11363e7f-7753-4aba-a0d1-d721558514eb</identifier>
<datestamp>2011-04-12T06:25:02Z</datestamp>
<setSpec>class:collection</setSpec>
<setSpec>group:Australian0x20Ocean0x20Data0x20Network</setSpec>
<setSpec>dataSource:aodn.org.au</setSpec>
</header>
...
...
</record>
More information about deleting records can be found here : http://ands.org.au/guides/cpguide/cpgdeletingrecords.html
11. Yesterday I entered a new draft record into the ANDS Registry and now it has disappeared. Can you get it back for me?
You can find your draft record using the 'Manage My Records' menu option, provided you have not deleted the record. Unfortunately, if you have deleted your Draft record, we have no way of recovering it for you. This is why we ask you first to confirm the deletion of the record when you hit the "Delete" icon.
The new Data Source History Tool can only recover deleted Published or Approved records.
Remember that:
- Draft records are not viewable in Research Data Australia, or searchable using the Registry search screens. Only Approved records are viewable in Research Data Australia, and searchable using the Registry search screens.
- Only Approved records can be linked from within the ‘Add a New Record' screens.
NOTE: Refer to Release 6 Day 1 Help Sheet for more information about the Data Source History Tool.
12. I used a tool to transform my XML to RIF-CS. As a result, there were empty elements or additional spaces added during the transformation. Can you remove these so that they are displayed properly in Research Data Australia?
No. As a policy, ANDS does not alter or tamper with the data provided to us. Whatever information was provided through the harvester into the ANDS Registry, it will be the exact data that will be displayed in Research Data Australia.
In this case, you need to clean up your data at your harvest point and then re-harvest/re-upload to production once cleaned up.
13. What's the difference between the harvest methods - 'Direct' and 'Harvester Direct'?
Direct is a single, one-off harvest. In internet terms, it is a simple HTTP GET.
Harvester Direct allows you to schedule a series of 'Direct' harvests, at a set frequency, say weekly.
A more detailed explanation about the different harvest methods and other information the Data Source Administrator should know about can be found at http://ands.org.au/guides/cpguide/cpgdsaaccount.html
NOTE: ANDS preferred harvest method is the third, 'Harvest OAI-PMH' option. The OAI-PMH protocol allows fast, bulk harvests and includes features like resumption tokens and exception reporting. To use this option data providers need to have OAI-PMH capability. Most repository software includes an OAI-PMH data provider. Free, open-source OAI-PMH solutions are also available. More information on implementing an OAI-PMH data provider is available from: http://ands.org.au/resource/rifcs-provider.html
14. Can I use https instead of http as our URI or harvest point?
Our ANDS Harvester is designed to accept XML records from either http or https harvest locations.
It is important to take note though that self-signed certificates will not work with our Harvester. If this is the case, you either have to purchase a valid SSL certificate for your https URL or use plain http as your harvest point.
15. My OAI-PMH harvest does not work. No record is being harvested by ANDS Harvester. What could be wrong?
There could be various reasons why records are not harvested properly by the ANDS Harvester. Often, it is not a problem with the Harvester but minor issues with the XML or with the harvest settings in your Data Source account. The following are the most common issues when experiencing this problem:
a. Your earliestDatestamp is set to a future date or to a date later than your records' dates.
The Harvester uses the earliestDatestamp to check which records need to be harvested and added to the Registry. You have to make sure that this date is set to a date earlier than your records dates .
Quick Check:
Go to an internet address bar in your browser and then append "?verb=Identify" to your harvest URI. For example : http://abc.org.au/oai/oai2.php?verb=Identify
You will see information similar to this:
- <OAI-PMH xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/OAI-PMH.xsd">
<responseDate>2011-07-06T00:05:54Z</responseDate>
<request verb="Identify">http://abc.org.au/oai/oai2.php</request>
<Identify>
<repositoryName>Example</repositoryName>
<baseURL>http://abc.org.au/oai/oai2.php</baseURL>
<protocolVersion>2.0</protocolVersion>
<earliestDatestamp>2011-01-01T00:00:00Z</earliestDatestamp>
<deletedRecord>no</deletedRecord>
<granularity>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ</granularity>
<adminEmail>abc@abc.org.au</adminEmail>
</Identify>
</OAI-PMH>
NOTE: For more information on the use of OAI-PMH verbs, please visit this link-> OAI-PMH Metadata Harvesting
b. You have an incorrect RIF-CS Schema version
RIF-CS schema locations:
The location of the most current rif-cs version is:
http://services.ands.org.au/documentation/rifcs/schema/registryObjects.xsd (this links to the most recent or current version of the schema)
version-specific:
- http://services.ands.org.au/documentation/rifcs/1.2.0/schema/registryObjects.xsd (RIF-CS 1.2.0 current version)
- http://services.ands.org.au/documentation/rifcs/1.0.1/schema/registryObjects.xsd (RIF-CS 1.0.1 older version)
Our OAICAT setup currently uses:
http://services.ands.org.au/home/orca/schemata/registryObjects.xsd
c. Your scheduled harvest time is set toa future date/time
Double check the date/time that you have set the harvester to run. Does it have a ‘Z' at the end? Z is for Zulu time (also known as GMT). AEST is 10 hours ahead of Zulu time. It is probable that the date/time you have set for harvest has not yet been reached.
ANDS is investigating ways to ensure that you can set your harvest time in your local time, for a future release of ANDS software.
For more information, please send an email to services@ands.org.au.
d. Your record's datestamp is set to a future date/time
When you schedule a harvest, the harvester checks for all the records from your ealiestDatestamp (see item a above) until now or the current time when the harvest is scheduled to run.
If the datestamp of the record is set to the future, then, the harvester thinks that no record is available. Similar to the scheduled harvest time in item d above, please review your record and correct the datestamp or schedule your harvest to run at a time later than the record's datestamp.
Quick check:
Go to an internet address bar in your browser and then append "?verb=ListRecords@metadataPrefix=rif" to your harvest URI. For example : http://abc.org.au/oai/oai2.php?verb=ListRecords&metadataPrefix=rif
You will see information similar to this:
<OAI-PMH xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/OAI-PMH.xsd">
<responseDate>2011-07-06T00:32:59Z</responseDate>
<request verb="ListRecords" metadataPrefix="rif">http://abc.org.au/oai/oai2.php</request>
<ListRecords>
<record>
<header>
<identifier>test-ands-org-au</identifier>
<datestamp>2011-07-06T14:25:02Z</datestamp>
</header>
<metadata>
...
...
</metadata>
</record>
</ListRecords>
e. You have an invalid URI or harvest point
The following are some of the common problems with the Data Source URI:
- missing "http://" in the URI field of the Data Source account
- the URI is inaccessible from the internet.
- the URI, although accessible from the internet, requires authentication
If any of the above did not solve your problem, please send an email to services@ands.org.au.
16. I have recently changed my harvest schedule to run weekly, however, nothing happend. What could be wrong?
It is important to note that after changing a frequency setting in your Data Source account, an 'Import Records' should be initiated. This will trigger the harvest frequency to run at its defined schedule. Simply saving all your changes will not initiate a harvest.
You should see the next scheduled harvest in the 'Harvest Requests' field in your data souce account. See sample below.
17. My harvest is scheduled to run weekly, and it's next schedule is in the next couple of days, how can I initiate an immediate harvest?
To initiate an instantaneous harvest, you need to remove the harvest frequency that has been setup for your data source. Do the following:
- Edit your data source
- In the 'Harvest frequency' field, change the existing value (e.g. weekly) to 'blank' (Note: 'blank' is the first option in the drop-down list)
- Save your data source account and hit 'Import records'
For any issue or concern, please email services@ands.org.au
18. Should I use Register My Data or Publish My Data?
Register My Data allows automated bulk harvest of rich collection descriptions into the ANDS Collections Registry. It is intended for use by institutions. There is some IT technical setup required before an institution can utilise Register My Data, and collection descriptions need to be mapped to the RIF-CS schema before they can be harvested.
Publish My Data allows manual entry of simple individual collection descriptions into the ANDS Collections Registry. It is intended for use by individual researchers whose institutions or organisations are currently unable to utilise Register My Data. There is no setup time or mapping required to utilise Publish My Data. All you need is your Australian Access Federation (AAF) account to login to ANDS Registry.
19. I'm entering a record into the ANDS Collections Registry using Register My Data. None of the types in a vocabulary list properly describe my data. What should I do?
The vocabulary lists (RIF-CS 1.0.1 vocabulary list, RIF-CS 1.2.0 vocabulary list ) for Register My Data are not closed. Rather, you can choose to use your own types if none of those in the vocabulary fits your data. These are called 'user-defined types'.
However, because consistency in types enables some deep search techniques, it is good practice to use the existing types where possible. If you think your user-defined vocabulary would be useful for others and should be included in the ANDS vocabulary list, please email services@ands.org.au. Your suggestion will be considered by the RIF-CS Advisory Board as part of the ANDS Change Management process.
20. Will RIF-CS ever change? Who decides?
ANDS has committed to restrict structural updates of RIF-CS to a single update each year. (Additions to the vocabulary can happen at any time.) This is because each structural change imposes a cost on data providers.
The 2010 Updates were based on the most common issues and requests from ANDS data providers. In 2011, a governance committee known as the RIF-CS Advisory Board was formed to provide an opportunity for interested stakeholders to influence changes to the RIF-CS Schema. Changes to the RIF-CS Schema that have been endorsed by the RIF-CS Advisory Board will go through the ANDS Change Management Process.
More information about the RIF-CS Advisory Board can be found at http://ands.org.au/partner/rifcs-advisory-board.html
21. I want to integrate Identify My Data with my software. How do I access this service?
The technical documentation for this machine-to-machine (M2M) service can be found here: http://services.ands.org.au/documentation/pids/pids_text.pdf
- You will need to email services@ands.org.au with the IP address of the machine that will be hosting the application you wish to integrate, and an authDomain of your choice.ANDS will then provide you with a key, which is called appID, for the Test service.
b. Only applications within the authDomain and originating from the designated IP address will be able to use the key.
NOTE: It is important to give some thought to an appropriate, future-proofed, authDomain. If you make this domain too narrow, business-as-usual IT infrastructure changes/upgrades may make your key unusable. Your institutional domain (e.g. anu.edu.au) may be too broad, but is worth considering.
- Once testing has been successfully conducted, ANDS will send you an Agreement form for signature. When the signed Agreement form is returned, we will issue you with a key for the Production service.
NOTE: It is possible to test using one IP address (say, from a local Test server) and to use another for Production.
Change History
|
Date |
Change history |
|
Nov 2010 |
First web publication |
|
22 September 2011 |
Divided FAQs into different subjects/topics; added more questions and answers; updated the login screen to the latest version of ANDS Registry |
| 19 October 2011 | Modified response to Q9 and added link to "Deleting records" in the CPG |
| 25 January 2012 | Modified response to Q1 & Q2 to include options for getting an AAF account. |
| 20 April 2012 | Added Q9, Q17 and Q18. |
