Vendors

Vendors

Creating a New Vendor

For detailed instructions on creating new vendors, see 'Adding a vendor' in the Koha manual.

The Name of the vendor is a required field, but beyond that, libraries can enter as much or as little information as is useful.

In 'Company details', Vendor type is a special field that can be used to categorize vendors in a way that is helpful for your library. It can either be used as free text (which is the default), or libraries can use the VENDOR_TYPE authorized value category to create a pre-populated list from which staff can select when creating a new vendor or editing an existing one:



There are no default values in the VENDOR_TYPE authorized value category, so they are completely customizable to your library.

Once added, the vendor's type will show up next to its name in parentheses:



Monday Minutes: Creating Vendor Types in Koha reviews the process of creating and using vendor types.

Also in 'Contact details', Aliases are other terms or names that libraries can use to search for vendors. This can be useful if a vendor changed its name, is commonly referred to by a nickname, or has different spellings of its name. To add an alias, type it into the Aliases box and click '+ Add':



Vendors can have multiple aliases. To delete an alias, open the vendor record for editing, click the 'Remove' link next to the alias you no longer need, and click 'Save' on the record.

In 'Interfaces', libraries can save details about vendor interfaces such as websites, ordering platforms, reporting services, or support portals so that they can be easily accessed by Acquisitions staff. To delete an interface, open the vendor record and select the 'Delete interface' button below the interface you no longer need.

To learn more about aliases and interfaces, watch Monday Minutes: Acquisitions Vendor Updates.

Searching For, Viewing, and Editing Vendors

To learn more about these, see Searching for vendors, Viewing a vendor, and Editing vendor information in the Koha manual.

Tracking Vendor Issues

Libraries can use the Acquisitions module to track issues or problems with their vendors. These are saved in the aqbookseller_issues table, which means that reports can be written on them. ByWater Solutions partners can submit a ticket for assistance with this report. To learn more, watch Monday Minutes: Vendor Issues in Acquisitions. Further details are available under Recording issues with vendors in the Koha manual.

Creating Aliases

The aliases field can be used for a former name, nickname, or different spellings of the name. Once staff add the alias, it will display on the vendor detail page. Additionally, staff can search by alias when starting their acquisitions workflow.
  1. Navigate to the Acquisitions Module and Search for vendor
  2. Click Edit Vendor
  3. Notice and Alias field under vendor type
  4. Add the alias and click the +Add
  5. Add as many alias' as needed
  6. Click save

Create Interfaces

An interface can be described or tracked for vendor website, ordering platform, or support portal that you use to manage orders or gather statistics from the vendor or organization. Within this new feature, staff can track usernames and passwords, that will be encrypted for storage, but can be decrypted and made visible in the staff interface. 

This enhancement also introduces a new authorized values category, VENDOR_INTERFACE_TYPE, to define the type of interface. Staff will be able to create multiple entries within one vendor record.
  1. Navigate to the Acquisitions Module and Search for vendor
  2. Click Edit Vendor
  3. Scroll down to Interfaces
  4. Click +Add another interface
  5. Enter Information for the following (no fields are required)
    1. Name - name of interface
    2. Type - driven from authorized value VENDOR_INTERFACE_TYPE
    3. URI - the login URL of the interface
    4. Login - username
    5. Password - password to login
    6. Account Email - email if needed
    7. Notes - add any additional information
  6. Click Save.

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