1. Catalog Manager

GEODESC provides a set of catalogs to facilitate the configuration of data capture templates in the Template Manager application (TM app). The Catalog Manager application (CM app) is a tool for reviewers to update and maintain the catalogs over time so they keep meeting evolving scientific resources and requirements.

To sign in:

• Enter your username
• Enter your password

You will be signed in if your account is associated with the reviewer role.

2. Select type of catalog update

Task: Select one of two methods to update the catalog. 

Select one of two catalog update methods;

• Option 1: Click the Update catalog by comparison with a review template button
  
  • This method is used for updates based on any changes to templates, observables or entry values that can be accomplished in the Template Manager application.
  • You select or create a review template, make necessary changes
  • The Catalog Manager program compares the review template with the corresponding catalog template (if it exists) and highlights changes in some form.
  • You decide what changes to commit to the catalog based on your expert judgement.
  • You can select or create review templates in three ways:
    • create a new template in the Template Manager application;
    • copy a catalog template and modify it in the Template Manager application;
    • copy an existing project template here and optionally modify it in the Template Manager application.
• Option 2: click the Update catalog by direct edit button.
  • This method is used to make direct edits to the catalog, which are limited to specific changes that cannot be made using the Template Manager application and therefore are not possible with the review method.
  • Needless to say, your expert judgment is critical. You will receive warnings before any update is committed to the catalog.

Other catalog update methods:

• Catalogs can also be updated with bulk replacements of database table contents, in one-off collaborations between expert reviewers and database administrators.
• This method is only suitable for catalogs that rarely change and consist of simple tables:
  • Zones catalog
  • Datums catalog
• This method is not suitable for other catalogs because many critical validations implemented in the Template Manager and Catalog Manager applications would be circumvented, which could result in serious data integrity issues.

2.1. Manage review templates

Task: Select a review template to carry out review-based catalog updates.

Multiple review templates may be installed in the review project, but only one of them can be reviewed at a time. A review template can only be un-installed by the user who installed it, or in emergency, by a developer.

To install a new template (has no matching key combination in the catalog):

• Go to the the Template Manager application.
• Sign in and select the Review project.
• Follow the process of creating a new template.
• Return to this page in the Catalog Manager, where the new template appears in the Existing review templates table.

To install a catalog template to be modified:

• Go to the the Template Manager application.
• Sign in and select the Review project.
• Copy the catalog template you want to modify to the review project.
• Make any changes now or later, follow the Template Manager guidance.
• Return to this page in the Catalog Manager, where the new template appears in the Existing review templates table.

To install an existing project template:

• Select a project from the dropdown menu.
• All templates used in that project will be listed.
• For each template, the status is presented:
  • Status
    
    • unchanged means the review template has an exact match in the catalog, without any differences in template settings, observable association, observable attributes or entry values.
    • new means the review template has a scale-type-objective key combination that does not exist in the catalog.
    • modified means the review templates has a scale-type-objective key combination that exists in the catalog but one or more settings or observables were changed.
  • Validation
    • invalid means the review observable has values in the validation list that are not in the entry value catalog.
      • Remove them in the TM app., or go to Review entry values first and add them to the catalog.

3. Select review tasks

Task: Select one of four review tasks.

• Review template
• Review observables
• Review entry values
• Review taxa

3.1. Review template

Task: Update the catalog template by implementing the differences with the review template.

You are presented with a side-by-side comparison of the review template and the corresponding catalog template (if one exists). The following differences are highlighted:

• If no corresponding catalog templates exists, i.e., the review template is a new template, you get a message:
  • 'No matching catalog template exists.
• If no differences exist, e.g., the review template is an unaltered catalog template you get a message:
  • No differences exist
• If the template settings are different, the differences are highlighted.
• If more or fewer observables are associated with the template, the differences are highlighted.

Click the Refresh status after making changes in the Template Manager app. button above the table after you have made changes to the review template in the TM app.

Below the tables, you have two action buttons:

• Click the Update button to implement the differences in the catalog.
• Click the Return button to go back to the Select review tasks page.

Catalog template update warnings

Whenever you click Update, you are warned before any of the changes are implemented.

Warning 1: Add new template warning

• 'Are you sure you want to add this template to the catalog?'
• Click the Yes or Cancel button.

Warning 2: Template settings update warning

• 'Are you sure you want to update the catalog template with the template settings in the review template?'
• Click the Yes or Cancel button.

Warning 3: Associate existing observables warning

• 'Are you sure you want to add the following observables to this catalog template?'
  • <header, definition>
  • <header, definition>
• They will be added with the attributes of the catalog observables. To change the attributes, go to Review observables first.
• Click the Yes or Cancel button.

Warning 4: Dissociate existing observables warning

• 'Are you sure you want to remove the following observables from this catalog template?
  • <header, definition>
  • <header, definition>
• They will still exist in the observable catalog.
• Click the Yes or Cancel button.

Warning 5: New observable warning. 

• 'You cannot add the following observables because they don't exist in the catalog:'
  • <header, definition>
  • <header, definition>
• If you want to add them, create them in a review template in TM, go to Review observables to add them to the catalog, and then come back here.
• Click the OK button.

3.2. Review observables

Task: Update the catalog observables by implementing the differences with the observables in the review template.

You are presented with a table of all observables in the review template, which has columns for the 8 observable key parameters as well as the following two review parameters:

• Status
  
  • unchanged means the review observable has an exact match in the catalog.
  • new means the review observable has no match in the catalog.
  • modified means the review observable has a match in the catalog, but some validation or display attributes are different.
• Validation
  • invalid means the review observable has values in the validation list that are not in the entry value catalog.
    • Remove them in the TM app., or go to Review entry values first and add them to the catalog.

Click the Refresh status after making changes in the Template Manager app. button above the table after you have made changes to the observables in the TM app.

Click the Remove all Ignore flags for all observables button if you want to compare all observables in the review template once more.

Below the table you find the action buttons.

• Click the Review validation details button to compare one selected observable in the review template with its matching observable in the catalog.
  • You are presented with a side-to-side comparison of the specific validation in the review observable and the catalog observable (if one exists), with the differences highlighted.
  • For validation lists, you have the option of selecting a list associated with the catalog observable and replace it with the list in the review observable.
  • Click the Update button to implement the review list in the catalog
  • Click the Return button to return to the Review observables page.
• Click the Update selected observable button if you want to implement the differences in the catalog template.
• Click the Ignore selected observable button if you want to hide the observable from further review.
• Click the Ignore unchanged observable button if you want to hide all unchanged observables in the review template.
• Click the Return button to go back to the Select review tasks page.

Catalog observable update warnings

Whenever you click the Update selected observable button, you are warned before any of the changes are implemented.

Warning 1: New observable warning

• 'Are you sure you want to add this observable to the catalog?'
• Click the Yes button or the Cancel button.

Warning 2: Observable update warning

• 'Are you sure you want to update the catalog observable with the attribute settings in the review observable?'
• Click the Yes button or the Cancel button.

Warning 3: List update warning

• 'Lists are different. Do you want the review list to be added or to replace the selected catalog list?
• Click the Add button if you want to add the list to the catalog observable.
• Click the Replace button if you want to replace the selected catalog list.
• Click the Cancel button if you don't want to change the catalog lists.

Warning 4: Numeric constraints update warning

• 'Are you sure you want to update the catalog observable with the numeric entry constraints in the review observable?'
• Click the Yes button or the Cancel button.

Warning 5: Formula update warning

• Are you sure you want to update the catalog observable with the formula in the review observable?
• Click the Yes button or the Cancel button.

Warning 6: Formula update problem

• 'The formula includes observables that do not exist in the catalog. You need to add them first.'
• Click the OK button and either add the necessary observables first, or forget about updating the formula.

Warning 7: Validation type change warning

• 'Are you sure you want to change the validation type of the catalog observable? Any validation lists, numeric constraint or formula will be lost and this is not undoable.'
• Click the Yes button or the Cancel button.

3.3. Review entry values

Task: Update the entry value catalog by implementing new entry values in the review template.

You are presented with a table of all entry values in the review template that do not exist in the catalog. Because Value is not unique and may occur with different description and grouping in the entry value catalog, the difference in the 'new values' may be in any of the parameters:

• Value
• Description
• First order value
• Second order value
• Third order value
• Sort order number

The list of 'new values' is created at the time they are created in the project using the TM app. They are retrieved in CM rather than generated. Where exactly the difference occurs is not highlighted. You need to open the entry values catalog in the Data Access application where you can filter and sort, and so make your decision whether to add the new record or not.

Click the Refresh status after making changes in the Template Manager app. button above the table after you have made changes in the TM app.

Click the Remove all Ignore flags for all observables button if you want to see all new records once more.

Below the table you find the action buttons.

• Click the Add selected entry value(s) button if you want to implement them in the entry value catalog.
• Click the Ignore selected entry value(s) button if you want to hide them from further review.
• Click the Return button to go back to the Select review tasks page.

Entry values update warnings

Whenever you click the Add selected entry value(s) button, you are warned before any of the changes are implemented.

Warning 1: New entry values warning

• 'Are you sure you want to add these entry values to the catalog??'
• Click the Yes button or the Cancel button.

3.4. Review taxa

Task:

4. Select direct edit task

Task:

4.1. Edit template catalog

Task:

4.2. Edit observable catalog

Task:

4.3. Edit observable qualifiers

Task:

4.4. Edit entry value catalog

Task:

4.5. Edit taxa catalog

Task: Add, delete, and edit taxa records in the catalog.

You are presented with a table of catalog taxa. You can filter the catalog records by:

• Microfossil group
• Order/Family/informal group
• Genus
• Species

Below the table, you have the following actions at your disposal:

• Click the Download taxa list template (Excel) button if you want to prepare a list of taxa to be added to the catalog.
• Click the Add taxa from file button if you have a list of taxa that is formatted according to the GEODESC taxa catalog requirements.
  • This opens the Add taxa from file window.
  • Click the Select a file button, navigate to the valid taxa file, and open it.
  • Click the Validate button. This will return a list of errors if any exist.
  • Fix any errors in the file and repeat selection and validation until no more errors exist.
  • Click the Upload to catalog button.
  • Click the Return button to return to the Edit taxa catalog page.
• Click the Edit non-key parameters button for a selected taxon if you have non-key information to add.
  • This opens a form where you can edit the following information:
    • Age
    • Marker species information
    • Geographic distribution
  • Click the Update button.
  • Click the Return button to return to the Edit taxa catalog page
• Click the Add synonyms button for a selected taxon to add synonyms to the catalog using a form.
  • This opens the Add new synonym window with a form to add synonyms for the selected taxon.
  • Enter the synonym key information in the form.
  • Click the Add to list button to accumulate multiple new synonyms for the selected taxon.
    • Click the Remove button to remove a selected synonym from the temporary list.
  • Click the Update button.
  • Click the Return button to return to the Edit taxa catalog page
• Click the Make it a synonym button if an existing catalog taxon has become a synonym.
  • You are presented with a table of catalog taxa. You can filter the catalog records by:
    • Microfossil group
    • Order/Family/informal group
    • Genus
    • Species
  • Select the taxon that will become the senior to the one selected to become a synonym.
  • Click Make the selected taxon the senior for the new synonym button to commit the update to the catalog.
  • Click the Return button to return to the Edit taxa catalog page 
• Click the Delete button if you want to remove a taxon permanently from the catalog.
• Click the Return button to return to the Select direct edit task page.

Taxa update warnings

Whenever you commit an update to the catalog, you are warned before any of the changes are implemented.

Warning 1: Upload from file warning

• 'Are you sure you want to add all the taxa in the file to the catalog?'
  • Click the Yes or Cancel button.

Warning 2: Taxa synonym delete warning

• 'This taxon has synonyms."
  • <synonym 1>
  • <synonym 2>
• Re-associate them first or else they will be deleted.
• Click the Delete senior taxon and synonym(s) button or the Cancel and re-associate first button.

Warning 3: Taxon delete warning.

• Do you really want to delete this taxon from the catalog? This cannot be undone.
  • <Taxon>
• Click the Yes or Cancel button.

4.6. Edit synonym catalog

Task: Add, delete, and edit taxa records in the catalog.

4.7. Manage taxa starter lists

Task: Save a subset of taxa from a microfossil group.