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The Metadb reporting database serves as a platform for generating reports for library staff on data from all functional areas of the FOLIO system. The Metadb software extracts, transforms, and loads data from the FOLIO application server continuously to the reporting database through its process of data synchronization. Both current and historical records are saved in tables in the reporting database. Some of these tables contain fields with patron identifiers, such as "user_id" and "requester_id." Patron identifiers are needed for current transactions – such as loans, requests, and fines that are open – to enable library staff to identify and communicate with those patrons. Patron identifiers for historical transactions – such as loans, requests, and fines that are closed – are not needed. To uphold the Cornell Library's Commitment to Privacy policies, patron identifiers on historical transaction records should be replaced with NULL values in the Metadb reporting database.

FOLIO Data vs Metadb Data Access

FOLIO provides the functionality to create granualar roles for user account access that are limited to the staff member's more narrow data access needs. Metadb does not yet have role based access functionality for user accounts, so all users see all data. 

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-- add info on granular user permissions feature

Risks

Like many reporting databases, the data fields and tables in Metadb are woven together with a complex set of interdependencies, connections, and data relationships. Deleting data in a PostgreSQL reporting database without a thorough understanding of the impacts on its infrastructure and data integrity poses several significant risks. 

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It’s crucial to approach deletions cautiously—starting with a deep analysis of the schema, understanding dependencies, and always backing up the data. Deletions should ideally be tested in non-production environments to prevent irreversible mistakes.

Tables in Metadb with Patron Identifiers

For reporting, folio_circulation, folio_audit, folio_feesfines, folio_derived, folio_email, folio_orders, and folio_patron_blocks have lots of tables and transformed tables that contain user_ids, requester IDs, recipient IDs or free text indicators of users associated with specific loans, requests, circ “events” or library materials. Most of the tables are very complex in their density of data and links to other data. Here is a list of table sets preliminarily identified – this list may not be complete (a ‘table set’ is the full table, plus the various extracted tables with current and/or archive states):

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