Before you begin actually creating or modifying a connection file, you must obtain the Z39.50 client configuration instructions for the database you want to access. Contact your librarian or information provider for this information.
Note: If the database is not available on a Z39.50 server, you will not be able to use EndNote’s Online Search feature to access it directly. Instead, use the Import feature to import references that have been downloaded to text files.
Once you have the Z39.50 client configuration information in hand, follow these steps to create a new connection file:
From the EndNoteEdit menu select Connection Files, and then select New Connection File.
The new Connection File window opens to display the About this Connection information panel. Enter any comments or descriptions here for your own use. (These comments do not affect how the connection functions.)
Click on the Connection Settings option and enter the connection information.
Click on the Search Attributes option to modify the default search attributes if necessary.
From the File menu, select Save As. Name the new connection file and save it in your Connections folder.
From the Tools menu, select Online Search and select your new connection file. If the connection cannot be established, check the settings in the Connection Settings panel of the connection file, save your changes, and try again.
If the connection was established, the Search panel should open automatically. Enter a simple search to see if the search attributes were correctly configured. If the Search does not work correctly or it returns an error, check the Search Attributes settings in the connection file. (If you modify the connection file at this point, you must save the connection file, then close the Retrieved References window and reconnect in order for your changes to take effect.)
Once you are able to connect and search, retrieve a dozen or so references to test how accurately they are filtered into EndNote references. Double-click a retrieved reference to open it to verify that the data are in the correct fields.
Note that if you are paying for the references you retrieve, these may not come through correctly, so it is best to retrieve only a few. All references retrieved are saved to a connection log file, so they are not lost. This log file is replaced the next time you run EndNote.
If the reference data is not being correctly filtered into the appropriate fields in the EndNote references, you will need to compare the downloaded data to the filter templates in your connection file.
Close the Retrieved References window and open the Connect ion .log log file in a word processor to view the original format of the retrieved references.
From the Edit menu, select Connection Files and select Edit Connection File to edit the newly created connection file. Look at the Templates panel of the connection file and compare the templates there to the reference data in the Connection.log file. Make changes as necessary. See Introduction to Filters for information about modifying filters.