If you have used another media bank before and want to keep the metadata linked to your files, we can assist you with this. In many cases, metadata is not embedded directly into the files, which means the connection needs to be established after the migration. We provide a metadata enrichment service to ensure the correct data is linked to the correct file.
File Names
All files must have a unique filename; otherwise, we cannot guarantee which metadata belongs to which file during import. A common issue is files having generic sequential names from cameras, such as DCS5937.jpg. If there is a risk of duplicate filenames, we suggest that your previous provider renames them during export. We recommend adding a sequential number or a database ID as a prefix. For example, DCS5937.jpg could be renamed to 47487_DCS5937.jpg (where 47487 is the ID from the previous provider's database). This new filename must be the one referenced in your metadata spreadsheet.
Encoding (non-English characters in filenames)
To successfully match files with data, the filename specified in the spreadsheet must be exactly the same as the filename on the disk. When filenames contain non-English characters (Latin 1), such as "åäö", the names can sometimes become corrupted. We therefore strongly recommend that files are exported using the UTF-8 standard.
How to import using a spreadsheet:
Request export: Ask your previous provider to export all relevant files so you have physical access to them. This is often done by providing access via the provider's FTP server.
Upload to Mediaflow: Upload all files to Mediaflow. We suggest uploading them to a root-level folder named "Import from [System Name]". If you wish to maintain your old folder structure, you can import files via Mediaflow's FTP function (read more about FTP here). Another advanced option is to use our tool for copying local folders to and from Mediaflow – mfcopy.
Request metadata list: Ask your previous provider for a structured list of the metadata you wish to migrate. This is usually a spreadsheet (Excel) or a semicolon-separated CSV file.
Identify files: Each file should have its metadata on a separate row in the spreadsheet. We identify each unique file by its filename, so please double-check that all files have unique names.
Upload metadata file: Upload the spreadsheet containing the metadata to the same folder where you uploaded the images. Inform your contact person at Mediaflow once the files are uploaded and ready for review.
Review meeting: We will schedule a meeting to go through the information in the spreadsheet with you. Together, we will decide which metadata fields should be transferred to Mediaflow and where they should be displayed in the platform.
Execution: We perform the import according to the agreement at a scheduled time.
Files with embedded metadata
If your previous provider can embed the metadata directly into the files according to the XMP standard, Mediaflow will read this information automatically. In this case, no additional import measures are required.
Converting JSON files to Excel format
If you have received your metadata as a JSON file (.json), it can be difficult to review the information. You can easily import this data into Excel to get a better overview. A guide on how to do this can be found here: https://www.howtogeek.com/775651/how-to-convert-a-json-file-to-microsoft-excel/
Note: You do not need to convert the file before sending it to Mediaflow; we can handle the conversion for you. The guide above is only if you wish to be able to read and review the information yourself.