How to Import Produced Data with a Load File

Annie Johnson

November 21, 2024 17:28

Amazingly Simple Load File Imports.

At the beginning of 2021, we rolled out the much anticipated second installment of enhancements to the Nextpoint import experience with the introduction of a load file mapper for produced data imports.

This new load file mapper provides the opportunity to easily match fields from your load file to the fields displayed in your Nextpoint database, from within the application. We’ve also included several instances of load file and field validation to ensure your import is successful.

Note: Imports available to users with Advanced user permissions, only.

Prefer a video presentation on this topic? You can find one here

Upload data to Nextpoint File Room
Select files for import from Nextpoint File Room
Confirm Import Data Settings
Review & Set Load File Mappings
Initiate Your Import
Review Import Results and Family Link

Importing Produced Data with the Load File Mapper

1 - Upload Data to Nextpoint File Room

The first step to importing in Nextpoint, is to upload your data to the File Room. File Room is a secure ‘data-bank’ for storing all your confidential files in your database, and comes with a built-in, high-speed, multi-file uploader to get data into Nextpoint quickly and efficiently.

To get started uploading your data to the File Room:

It is important to note, we recommend you upload your production data folder to the File Room unzipped. This will ensure all subdirectories and load files are accessible during the guided import workflow and processing.

Navigate to the File Room: In Discovery databases, via DATA File Room. In Litigation via MORE Data File Room.
Upload your files to the File Room via one of the four following options:

Upload a folder of files via Drag & Drop

The primary, and recommended, function for uploading data to your File Room.

Select the folder(s) on your desktop, thumb drive, or other location, and Drag & Drop into your File Room. All contents and subdirectory information will be maintained.

Upload loose files via Drag & Drop

Within the File Room, click the green Create Folder name your folder and select OK.

Click into your newly created folder, and drag and drop your loose files into the folder location.

Maintaining an organizational system for your data uploads will help ensure you can best track your various imports as time progresses.

Upload an individual file via Upload Files button

Within the File Room, click the blue Upload Files button and select the file from the directory prompt.

Note: This option only allows upload of one file at a time (loose file, .zip, mailbox archive).

Request file upload from third party

You can securely Request Files from any third party (clients, counsel, etc...) from your Nextpoint File Room. It is a simple process in which you ("requestor") request files from a specified third-party, the "recipient" of that request receives a secure link to upload their respective files, and then you can access the uploaded files right away.

Read more on requesting from third parties here >>
After you initiate your upload in the step above, the data will begin to upload and the status of the upload will be displayed on your screen.

It is important you do not navigate away from the File Room during an active upload. This will cancel the ongoing upload, and you will need to delete all files from the File Room which were interrupted during upload and begin again.

Need to keep working on other action items? Open a new tab, or duplicate your current tab and you are set!

Read our File Room Best Practices here >>

2 - Select Files for Import

Once your data has been successfully uploaded to the File Room, you can select that data directly from the File Room to initiate the guided import sequence.

To select your data for import click the blue Import button next to any production folder in the File Room.

When initiating your import from the File Room, Nextpoint will detect the type of data you selected and will automatically set such in the first step of the guided import sequence. If a load file is present anywhere in your production folder, your import type will be recognized as Production with Load File.

Alternative option for selecting files for import

While selecting files for Import from the File Room, as described above, is the recommended workflow for initiating your imports, you may also initiate your import via DATA Imports.

The difference you will notice in starting from this location will be the added Import Type selection in Step 1. After making this selection, you will meet the 'Import from File Room' sequence at Step 2, Import Data Settings.

Read more on Import Types here >>

3 - Confirm Import Data Settings

Once your files have been selected for import, you will be navigated to the next step of the import sequence, Import Data Settings. Here, you will verify and/or outline settings applicable to your current import.

For Production with Load File imports, common Import Data Settings you will see are as follows:

Type of Import: Verify Production with Load File is selected. Click the pencil icon to edit, as needed.
Selected Files for Import: If you initiated your import from the File Room, verify the selected files or modify by clicking the folder icon to access the File Room contents.
Load File Selection: Nextpoint will use the first load file found, but if there is a particular load file you would like to use, you can change such in the drop-down.
Batch Name: Recommended for most efficient tracking once the data has been imported.
Assign Custodian on Import: For produced data sets with an accompanying load file, Custodian information is typically provided in the load file (and will be mapped in the next step).
Add to Folder on Import: Search list of existing folders or add new via the folder + icon .
Deduplication and DeNIST Detection: Deduplication and DeNIST settings are turned OFF as a pre-set recommendation for this type of import to help mitigate risk of deduping any data produced TO you.

FAQ: Production with Load File Import Type not recognized?

If you reach the Import Data Settings page and the Import Type does not indicated "Production with load file", then a load file was not detected during the selection process. If this is the case, return to the File Room and make sure that a DAT or CSV load file is in your production folder. We typically see load files present in the DATA folder or at the root of the main production folder.

4 - Review & Set Load File Mappings

Load File Mapper at a Glance

When Production with Load File Import Type is selected, a new step has been added to the guided workflow in which you can review and set your load file mapping specifications, the load file mapper.

The key objective of the load file mapper is to ensure the fields from your load file are mapping to the appropriate Nextpoint database fields. If the mapping is not made, Nextpoint will not know where to send the load file information during processing.

Once in the load file mapper, you will be presented with four core columns which provide you with data from your load file, a list of database fields to which load file data can be mapped, and a status indicator of your field mapping. These four columns are described in detail below.

A | The first column, Field from your load file, will be populated with a list of the fields contained in the header row of your selected load file.

B | The second column, Destination field, contains a list of available fields in your Nextpoint database to which corresponding load file field data can be mapped. Nextpoint will attempt to auto-map matches between your load file and the database fields based on common field name formats. You can also edit the auto-mapped recommendation, create a new destination field 'on the fly', or choose to skip the field within the field drop-down.

C | The third column, Load file preview, contains a three row preview of the data within the load file for each field. This information can provide assurance the appropriate values correspond with a particular field.

D | The fourth column, Field status, provides confirmation if a load file field has been successfully mapped to a destination field or if additional user action is required prior to import.

A Closer Look at the Destination Field Column

Now that you have an overview of four columns within the mapper, let’s take a closer look at the Destination field column and the different opportunities for mapping information from your load file to your Nextpoint database.

The first one or two rows in your Destination field column will be populated with image mapping criteria. Image mapping criteria provides Nextpoint with instructions for locating your production images during processing.

Click on the gear icon to validate the load file field which Nextpoint should use to locate the images for your production.

Auto-Mapping

For each load file field in column 1, Nextpoint will first look for an exact match with an existing Destination field. If an exact match is found, the field match will be auto-mapped.

For example, in the below image, BegAttach and EndAttach were an exact match so they are auto-mapped.

User-Mapping

For each load file filed in column 1, if an exact match can’t be made, fields can be user-mapped to existing or new fields.

For example, ProdBeg and ProdEnd were not auto-mapped in the below image because no exact match was present. Therefore, we ask you as the user to select where that information should be mapped to in your Nextpoint database.

If a field needs to be user-mapped, each Destination field input contains a drop-down with a comprehensive list of all the fields which are available for mapping in your current database.

Varying text styles within the drop-down help to distinguish different types of fields.

Normal (unbolded) field names are default fields which exist in every Nextpoint database. When possible, we recommend mapping to these default fields for streamlined searching later on. For more information on linking fields in a load file to Nextpoint's system fields, please review the Nextpoint System and Protected Fields support article.
Grayed out fields are already in use within the current mappings and cannot be used twice. Remove/change the other field mapping in order to utilize a grayed out field.
Bolded fields are user-created (or custom) fields which can be used in the mapper.

The following fields are VERY important to map correctly if they exist in your load file.

bates_start/bates_end - usually called "Prodbeg"/"Prodend" or something similar, these fields map your Bates numbers to your documents and are usually used for imaging (if the images are named by Bates numbers).

begattach - This fields must be created as custom fields in Nextpoint and should contain the metadata in the load file associated with family relationships. Usually called Production Begin Attachment or some abbreviation of that. If parent ID exists in the load file, that usually could work for begattach if the parent ID's are the parents' Bates numbers.

native file - If your production contains a "Natives" folder and native files, you need to map the paths to these natives onto the "native file" field and validate the paths by clicking on the gear icon next to the field and selecting the folder containing the native files.

text file - If your production contains a "Text" or "OCR" folder containing the search text for each document, you need to map the paths to these text files onto the "text file" field and validate the paths by clicking on the gear icon next to the field and selecting the folder containing the text files.

Create a New Field for Mapping

If the field you would like to use for mapping isn't available in the Destination field list drop-down, you are provided with the option to create a new database field on the fly. To create a new field while in the mapper, click the icon to the right of the applicable Destination field list.

Upon clicking the icon, confirm the auto-populated name or set your preferred field title, then click Create.

As soon as you click Create, that field will now be in your database and data can be mapped to that field moving forward.

You can skip a field mapping by selecting Skip Field in the Destination field drop-down, but skipping a field during mapping means skipping data going into your database. Therefore, we do require users explicitly skip a field for mapping via the Skip Field selection.

You can also skip all unmapped fields as a last selection before moving to the next step, processing.

Before finalizing your mapping, the last, but critical decision point concerns validating pathing information for Natives and Text. This validation point ensures your load file is giving Nextpoint the correct instructions to find the different pieces of your data set to create unique documents during processing.

To validate, click the gear icon, and confirm the relative path of the location of the respective. In other words, the top-level folder in which Nextpoint should start looking for text or native files during processing. Most often, this will be the top-level TEXT and NATIVES folders in your production set.

Load File Mapper Tips + Tricks

In the event "something doesn't seem right" when you are in the mapper (spinning, no text/native paths showing, etc.), we recommend the following troubleshooting tips and tricks

If the native/text file path listings are not displaying when you go to validate, your parent production folder in the File Room and the folder in the native/text paths may be mismatched. Update your File Room folder to correlate with the native/text paths or update the native/text paths to match the File Room folder, then re-upload.
If your load file is not being read and/or has uncommon characters contained within, make sure your load file is saved with UTF-8 Encoding.

5 - Initiate Your Import

Once all load file mappings are complete, click import and processing will begin. Nextpoint will take your original load file, make a copy and make any necessary conversions on the back-end during processing.

6 - Review Import Results and Family Link

After your import is complete, the converted load file copy will be added to your original folder selected from the File Room for import. Fields used for mapping will be stored as a report in the individual import details page.

The very last step once processing is complete is to Family Link your import batch. Family linking is the process which visually links imported (produced) emails and attachments using a set of two fields: "Unique ID" and "Family ID". This takes place after import processing is complete and via DATA Import and by clicking on the batch name to view Batch Details Family Linking.