OPAC

The MetaVista OPAC solution is based on the DataServer component and offers both a Web and a Z3950 standard compliant interface.

The platform offers the following functionalities:

• allows the OPAC to integrate with any MetaOPAC that complies to the Z39.50 standard.
• offers the user the possibility of standard, simple and advanced querying, via the Internet:
  • single databases,
  • more than one database, all of the same type,
  • more than one database, of different types.
• allows to configure, dinamically, the system behaviour.
  The simples XML editing of the DataServer configuration file allows the system administrator to change (in full compliance of the standard):
  • query building mode
  • the contents of the ISBD Presentation, be it Brief or Full..
• supports the most adopted transfer and presentation syntax notations: SUTRS, UNIMARC, USMARC, XML, GRS1 (Images) and allows:
  • limitation of the number of objects to return;
  • keeping of the searches performed for the sessions’ duration, or for a specified timeout lenght;
  • saving the search results in a user-reserved area, that can be:
    • incremented with other document lists
    • sent, via e-mail, to a specific internet e-mail address (requires a e-mail system)
    • delete to free space that can be reused later.
• offers the following services: Init, Search, Present, Sort, ACS (Access Control Services), Scan (Index scanning)
• allows, for each query in a user session, the logging of loads of information for statistics of the OPAC activity
• MetaVista DataServer is completely integrated with Metavista AccessServer and can be used in the building of a OPAC or MetaOPAC heterogeneous or distributed.