Using MarcEdit to Validate & Clean a

Batch Extraction File

McAllen Public Library
Last Updated: 20 Sept. 2016

Contents
1 Break Your File

2 Edit Your File & Check for Errors

2.1 Identify Invalid Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.2 Validate Record (Default) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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4
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3 Identify OTF (on-the-fly) Records

4 Recompile Your File

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Abstract

These instructions cover MarcEdit 6.2.x, which is the current version at the time of writing. The steps required to clean a batchfile are
a) breaking the file; b) editing the file and using the built-in validator
to check for structural and MARC errors; c) identifying and deleting
on-the-fly (OTF) records; and d) recompiling the file back into MARC
format.

Break Your File

At the main screen, choose MARC Tools:

 Use MarcBreaker to break your file into the programs editable,

mnemonic .mrk format.

MarcEdit will assign your Output File a name (with .mrk as the file
extension), and save it to the same location / folder as your original
Input File.
Click on the Execute button.

 The Results area will display a summary of how many records were
processed:

Edit Your File & Check for Errors

Click on the Edit Records button to open the .mrk file in the programs built-in MARC Editor.

From the menu, select Tools > Validate MARC Records.

Tip:
It is important to understand the differences between the
Validate Records option and the Identify Invalid Records
option.
You should run each of these utilities on your batch file. Further
explanation is in Subsections 2.1 and 2.2 below.a
a

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigns excellent LibGuide has

a detailed discussion of MarcEdits validation capabilities. The guide is available at http://guides.library.illinois.edu/MarcEdit.

2.1

Identify Invalid Records

Click the radio button beside Identify Invalid Records.

Click the OK button.

This option only looks at the structural validity of the records, meaning that it will only look for structural problems that would keep a
.mrk file from compiling into MARC, or a MARC file from being broken in to an .mrk file. This function is not concerned with standards
like MARC21 but only with the structure of the record itself as it relates to compiling into and moving out of MARC.
If the validator finds any errors, the program will notify you which
record number needs attention and what type of error it is.1
1

If the validator does not detect any errors, you will see a pop-up window which says
No invalid records found.

 From the menu, choose Edit > Jump to > Jump to ... Record.
In this example, the 260 c subfield is missing:

Fix any errors and save the file with a Ctrl+S command.

2.2

Validate Record (Default)

From the menu, select Tools > Validate MARC Records.

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 Click the radio button beside Validate Record (Default).

Click the OK button.

This option searches your file according to the MarcEdit rules file in
order to see if there is missing information, such as a 245 field, or
information that is not in accordance with the MARC21 standards,
such as invalid indicators or subfields.
If the validator finds errors, the program will notify you which record
number needs attention and what type of error it is:

Tip:
Depending on the size of your batch file and the quality of the
bibliographic records, there may be a large number of errors.
Use catalogers judgment in determining whether it is feasible
to correct every mistake.
You can print the error report, if you wish, or copy it to the Clipboard,
using the options in the lower right hand corner of the dialog window:

Fix any errors and save the file with a Ctrl+S command.

Identify OTF (on-the-fly) Records

Search for OTF (on-the-fly) records and delete them.

Choose the menu item Edit > Find.
Type otf as your search term, since TLC Library.Solution control numbers (MARC 001 field) begin with the prefix otf:

The programs default display is 100 records per page, so if your file
is large, you will have to search within each page by using the Page
Forward button on the bottom toolbar:
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Tip:
The default behavior can be changed (at the initial screen) by
choosing Tools > Preferences.
Next, choose MarcEditor and scroll down to the Records per
page box.

Note: Although the majority of OTF records are typically found within
the MNILL holdings code (which you already excluded prior to your
batch extraction), they often appear for audiovisual items (DVDs and
CDs), as well as under temporary display holdings codes (such as
MNDISP11, etc.).
You can delete an OTF record by selecting and highlighting it, then
pressing the Delete key:

Recompile Your File

When you finish your deletions, re-save the file.
As the final step, you must recompile the edited file back into MARC
format. Look for the Compile Records icon on the toolbar, and click
on it.

Save your file under a different name, in the location of your choice.

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