Customized Metadata enrichment
If you have used another media bank before and want to keep the metadata that is linked to the files, we can help you with this. Usually, the metadata is not embedded in the files and therefore the connection needs to be made afterward.
File Names
All files must have a unique file name; otherwise, we won't be able to ensure, during import, which metadata belongs to which file. This commonly occurs when files often receive a sequential number directly from the cameras, such as DCS5937.jpg or similar. If there is a risk of having files with the same name, we suggest that the previous provider ensures renaming these upon export. We recommend doing this by adding a sequential number or an ID number as a prefix to the file name. For instance, DCS5937.jpg would become the file name 47487_DCS5937.jpg (where 47487 is the ID number from the old provider's database). The new file name should be referenced in the spreadsheet where the metadata exists.
How to import with spreadsheets
- Ask your previous supplier to export all affected files so that you have physical access to them. This is often done by getting access to the provider's FTP server.
- Upload the files to Mediaflow. You can upload all the files in a folder that you create at the root level and name it "Import from [another system]". If you want to keep your old folder structure, you can import the files via Mediaflow's FTP function (read more about FTP here).
- Ask your previous supplier to send over a structured list of relevant metadata that you wish to transfer to Mediaflow. This is usually a spreadsheet (Excel etc.) or semicolon-separated CSV format.
- The spreadsheet should contain metadata about each file in a separate line. We need to identify each unique file to link the correct data to it. Normally, images are identified by file names. Therefore, make sure that all images have a unique name.
- We book a meeting and go through the spreadsheet line by line with you. Together, we agree on which metadata fields you want to transfer to Mediaflow and where they will be displayed in the platform.
- We carry out the import according to the agreement at a specific time.
Files where metadata is already embedded
IF your previous supplier can embed metadata in the files according to the XMP standard, Mediaflow will automatically import these. Therefore, no additional import measures are required.