Sierra has known the quickest adoption of any library system to date, according to Library Journal. The libraries that have committed to Sierra are both new Innovative customers, and libraries that are using the Millennium ILS. Sierra represents a leap beyond the ILS to a comprehensive Services Platform.

A cornerstone of Sierra's Services-Oriented Architecture design is the adoption of PostgreSQL database technology. As critical support of the commitment to an open and reliable system, Innovative has created the Sierra Database Navigator Application (Sierra DNA for short). The Sierra DNA is the tool through which libraries easily view the documentation describing the underlying data structure. This facilitates the query and reporting activities performed on the database.

This special issue of INNTouch focuses on Sierra DNA, giving you an in-depth look at a tool that makes accessing and using its open database simple and robust. Sierra DNA: Leading to a Wealth of Possibilities (PDF) digs deep into the database structure and staff tools that make Sierra different. Sierra combines the best of library-workflow management with extensive SierraDNA documentation that creates options for making library technology work harder for staff and library users alike.

Part of the Sierra pledge is to unify and streamline library workflows and functions. With this concept as a focus, Sierra introduces a Browse Query tool: an advanced search that allows you to search for e-resource and print records with equal ease. Staff can also use it to find patron information and to any other aspect of record data they want to search. In the past, Staff client searches were limited to individual indexes. Now, the sky’s the limit.

Library staff can simplify everyday workflow through the use of a customized Dashboard with the Sierra Services Platform. The Dashboard provides library staff with a single point of access to the tools they need to run their library and serves as a personalized space where staff can be creative and add their favorite apps. Through the use of the Open Social public specification, the Dashboard allows a number of components to run together.

There’s been a recent exchange of ideas among the Sierra development partners on their listserv about SQL queries of Sierra’s open database. One library shares code to query a range of call numbers from the Sierra database. Another one shares a query of Program Registration data. Yet another expresses interest in querying voucher records for the accounting department. And that’s just the beginning of what deft librarians will dream up to query their own information, to better understand their own data and create solutions that serve patrons and staff alike.

Sierra represents a major change in how library staff can administer their library and serve patrons. The user experience is epitomized by what we call Sierra Workflows, which brings together everything a given staff member needs into one place. Sierra’s unified Desktop App allows staff to switch between functions such as acquisitions or cataloging in seconds. With Sierra, you never face a barrier between functions you need every day.

Sierra has new features that make managing logins and user workflows simple. Administrators can drag-and-drop functions from any area of Sierra to create a custom workflow, give it a login name like "front desk," or use Sierra's application defaults as a starting point.

Innovative’s flagship ILS, Millennium, has proved itself to be the most reliable and feature-rich solution of its kind, requiring virtually no staff intervention to run the gamut of library functions. This special issue of INNTouch focuses on Web services; Innovative’s history of using this technology to enable dynamic interaction