When requesting produced data from opposing counsel or responding to requests for data by opposing counsel during discovery, there are important specifications to consider. Following are recommended production specifications for efficient data processing in standard review platforms.
In short, Production Specifications are:
- The digital format of electronic records production
- The data fields to be provided
A. Digital format of electronic records production
Recommended production formats:
1) Imaged and native production:
Bates-stamped images with associated metadata fields and searchable text files. These image files should be provided as TIFF/JPG (b&W/color) with the associated image load file (commonly OPT, LFP, or DII). File types that don't convert cleanly to image format, such as MS Excel spreadsheets (XLS) or audio files (WAV, WMV, MPG), are produced in native. An additional data load file containing all coding, metadata, and Bates numbers should also be included. These files are typically DAT, CSV, or TXT.
2) PDF production:
Individual PDFs named by starting Bates number with a delimited load file containing metadata fields and paths to the PDFs, any included natives, and TXT files. These load (or index) files are typically DAT or CSV file types.
B. Data fields to be provided
The metadata load file referenced in the aforementioned production formats, in the most simple description, serves as an index to a production deliverable. While every set of production specifications can differ in the slightest, the Nextpoint Data Strategy team reviewed hundreds of ESI protocols to ensure we were building a Production Load File Template that would fall in line with both Sedona and EDRM industry standards. The below Load File Template can be found in Step 4 of the Production Export Template in Nextpoint and can be modified to accommodate your specific production specifications in any given database.
System Name | Column Name In Loadfile | Email/Attachment/Loose File |
---|---|---|
Bates Range Start | ProdBeg | All |
Bates Range End | ProdEnd | All |
Family Range Start | BegAttach | Email/Attachments |
Family Range End | EndAttach | Email/Attachments |
Custodians | Custodians | All |
Produced Page Count | PgCount | All |
Attach Count | AttachCount | |
Document Type | DocumentType | All |
Email Subject | EmailSubject | |
Email Author | EmailAuthor | |
Recipients | Recipients | |
Cc | CC | |
Bcc | BCC | |
Email Sent | EmailSentDate | |
Email Sent | EmailSentTime | |
Email Received | EmailReceivedDate | |
Email Received | EmailReceivedTime | |
Email Message ID | EmailMessageID | |
Mailbox File | MailboxFile | Email/Attachment |
Mailbox Path | MailboxPath | Email/Attachment |
Document Title | Title | Attachments/Loose Files |
Document Author | DocAuthor | Attachments/Loose Files |
Document Last Author | DocLastAuthor | Attachments/Loose Files |
Created Date Time | CreatedDateTime | Attachments/Loose Files |
Modified Date Time | ModifiedDateTime | Attachments/Loose Files |
File Name | FileName | All |
File Extension | FileExtension | All |
File Path | FilePath | All |
MD5 Hash | MD5Hash | Included Natives |
Confidentiality | Confidentiality | All |
Text Path | TextFile | All |
Native Path | NativeFile | All |
C. Choice of production delivery
The choice of production delivery is guided by considerations of volume, cost, schedule (e.g., rolling productions), and data security.
Standard sharing options:
- Nextpoint Export Share
- Thumb Drive/Hard drive
- Third-Party Share site
Not sure where to begin?
Our Data Strategy team of experts is always available to consult on your ESI specifications and custom export templates. If you are interested in learning more about Nextpoint Production Export and Load File Templates, please contact us at support@nextpoint.com to discuss.
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