Dear all,
I'm happy to announce that the "Item Creator by Excel" Cloud App is now available, and can be used to create items in multiple bibliographic and holdings records using an Excel: https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/appcenter/item-creator-by-excel/

The option to create multiple items using an item template (for a specific holdings record) is currently planned to be available in the coming August release.

Dear all,
I'm happy to report that the new workflows for creating multiple items for a specific holdings record using item templates, and for creating multiple items from Excel using a CloudApp, are planned to be release during H2 2024.

One of the downsides of using Import profiles is that the majority of our staff that are creating items do not have the authority to create or edit import profiles. The ability to have a job that could be run by a Physical Inventory Operator or Cataloger Extended to batch create item records would be a huge time saver.

Thank you for the detailed response!
I would like to point out that the import profile route is far less complex now, as:
1. You can load an Excel file (so no need to edit in MarcEdit etc.).
2. Most of the item information you mentioned (item policy, notes, etc.) can be mapped from the incoming file - so a single import profile can be used to create various items as needed. Material type is indeed set, so if you would like to import items with a different material type that would require its own import profile (meaning you can set up one import profile per material type you need to import, which you could then use whenever you need to create items of that material type in bulk).
3. If you create a merge rule that only keeps the local record's fields, you don't need to create a set and export it, you mostly need the basic data of the record you want to create items for, in order to match on (plus the item information you want to map into the newly created items). That rule can be used in all relevant import profiles.
The import profile capabilities were enhanced considerably over the past few years, so it might be worth checking out in your SB.

Using an import profile is one option, but in my opinion, it involves quite a few more steps, some of the steps being fairly complicated.

1. create a set
2. export the set (possibly edit records in MarcEdit)
3. create import profile(s)
4. Set up merge rule if needed
5. re-import bibs

When using an import profile, you would need to create an import profile for each nuance of the item records needed. You would need a different import profile for different formats, for items requiring different material types or different item policies; for items requiring different internal notes and or external notes.

Yes you can copy import profiles and then edit as needed, but import profiles involve quite a few steps to set up and/or edit. With your scenario, we would need to set up a merge rule as well. You would also need to keep a careful eye on the holdings records to make sure nothing is inadvertently edited or duplicated there. "If" the import profile was potentially a one-time use only import profile, you would have to remember to delete the import profile so as not to clutter the list.

Using a job would most likely require the cataloger to be fairly detailed in how they create the set, most likely using multiple search criteria when creating the set. When using jobs on a set of bib records, a successful job is based on the successful creation of the set.

If Ex Libris decides not move forward with the job route, I will investigate your option more closely.

Thanks.

Thank you very much for these use case examples!
May I please ask, when needing to add items to a set of titles, why not use an import profile to let you create these items? The repository import profile can create items, mapping information such as library, locations, barcode, etc. from the incoming file, and a merge rule can be used to prevent changed to the bib record itself. For more information on this option, please see:
https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/Physical_Resource_Management/015_Managing_Physical_Resources#Creating_and_Updating_Items_in_Bulk
https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/040Resource_Management/060Record_Import/020Managing_Import_Profiles#Creating.2FEditing_an_Import_Profile:_Inventory_Information

It would be helpful to understand what doesn't suit your needs in the existing option, to better understand the need here.
Thanks!

Here is a common scenario for us. I do an advanced search in Alma for Physical titles in the main location, has items equals no, permanent call number type equals Other scheme, permanent call number equals In process. We have 898 titles/holdings that migrated from Voyager that do NOT have item records. I would make a set for these titles.

What I would find useful is a job that would create the ITEM records for this set. The job could be very similar to the "Change Physical items information" job, the difference being that the new job would be creating items rather than changing items.

When creating item records in batch, the barcode field is the one problem field in my opinion. Option 1 is to leave the barcode field blank. Not a huge problem, but if you want to turn around and add the newly created items to a Work Order, you need a barcode of some type. Option 2 is to have a barcode field in the form, and use a phrase in the barcode field to help collocate the newly created items, something like: TempBarcode. Option 3 is to have some kind of barcode generation automatically put in a barcode of some type into the field. This barcode could have a phrase such as Tempbarcode001 for the first title, Tempbarcode002 for the second title, Tempbarcode003 for the third title, etc.

Another thought. If we're running a job to create item records, could there be an option in the form to put the newly created item into a Work Order? This would save a step if we want to put the newly created items into an existing Work Order.

On occasion, we need the option to create multiple items for one title/holdings record. Yes, you can use the duplicate item function, but if you're creating 10-100 items for one title, this takes a while. Luckily, this doesn't happen often. Being able to create one item record for an existing title/holdings is much, much more common.

Using a template would be great when I'm creating a bib and holdings in Alma and then need to create an item record. The template needs to be customizable at the user/cataloger level. If I am creating CDs, I need a template for CDs. If my fellow cataloger is creating books, they need a template for books, and another cataloger might need a template for maps.

We would want to use a physical titles list and be able to specify a holdings library and location for the item creation. We would only need to create one per title to at least get a requestable item in our system.

Hello from 2022! GW Law also would like to have this functionality in Alma. In our previous ILS, we were able to add multiple item records at one time at the point of creating the first item. It was as simple as indicating that we wanted 20 more items just like the first item created with barcodes in sequential order.

This would be very helpful especially when I need to link hundred of serials issues under one holdings record.

This would be very helpful for us as we would like to add dummy item records to our closed journal holdings to enable patron digitisation requests. Currently we just have summary holdings and no items attached to our print journal records. Being able to batch create items and have Alma auto assign barcodes would be great.

It would also be useful if there was a feature to batch create items and assign barcodes within a specified sequence - e.g. to add 100 items with barcodes starting 123001, so Alma would assign barcodes automatically for these up to 123100. Agree with mcorby that it would be helpful to apply item policy, material type, notes etc. based on the Update Item parameters.

I think this would be a great addition to the jobs list. We could create sets for specific records based on location and resource type. If the job used the Update Item paramaters, we could apply the same item policy, material type, notes, etc. to each newly created item record in the set. The barcode could be left blank, use a phrase to indicate the item was generated, or something else.