Time

COUNTER-compliant usage statistics were a great leap forward for standardizing the collection of usage data. However, regular collection of data across every COUNTER-compliant package licensed by libraries creates a heavy workload, and was a time-consuming process. This problem of retrieval was the bottleneck that prevented wider use and interpretation of COUNTER reports, and the need to import usage statistics efficiently into a central repository for easier management became increasingly apparent.

Solution: SUSHI

The Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative (SUSHI) Protocol standard defines an automated request and response model for the harvesting of electronic resource usage (COUNTER) data utilizing a Web services framework. It is intended to replace the time-consuming user-mediated collection of usage data reports.Essentially, SUSHI is COUNTER usage reports, delivered in XML format.