This page is deprecated as of Release 6.3. For current information about Batch Ingest, see Uploading Content using Batch Ingest. |
When a new collection is created, Avalon creates a sub-directory with the name of that collection (substituting underscores for any blanks), beneath the Avalon dropbox directory. A Batch Ingest is started by uploading an Ingest Package to the collection sub-directory in the dropbox. To connect to the Avalon dropbox, see Uploading Content to an Avalon Dropbox.
The manifest file is a spreadsheet (xls, xlsx, csv, or ods) containing the metadata for the items to be created, as well as the names of the content files that make up each item; download manifest_example.xlsx for a blank manifest template. The manifest file contains many fields for metadata to be attached to an item when the batch ingest begins. Only a few of these fields are required: "Title," "Date Issued," and "File." For a description of the other fields, as well instructions for adding structure or captions, see Batch Ingest Package Format.
Example Manifest File showing reference name, username, Title, and Date fields (please note there are some intentional errors in this example):
Continued (file name and path name, file labels):
A Batch Ingest will begin automatically once the Manifest File and the Content Files are uploaded to the appropriate collection in the Avalon dropbox. If you are not yet connected to the Avalon dropbox, follow the instructions at Uploading Content to an Avalon Dropbox. Once you are connected, uploading the files is a simple drag-and-drop process. The image below shows the files to be transferred in the left pane, and the files after they have been transferred in the right pane.
Once Avalon detects the presence of an unprocessed Manifest File, it will first verify that the metadata columns are recognizable, that the required columns are present and have values in them, and that the package is complete (i.e., all content files specified in the manifest are present and not open by any other processes) before attempting to ingest. If these conditions are met, Avalon will generate and send an email to the user listed on the Manifest File. A successful ingest will state:
"Your metadata package was validated and no errors were found. Your batch is now processing.
Manifest file: /N/beryllium/avalon/dropbox/Sample_Videos/manifest_example.xlsx"
At this point, no further action is necessary. The content files will automatically be created as items in Avalon with the metadata from the Manifest file.
However, an unsuccessful ingest will generate a message to the user with the details of the attempted process. Please note that even if only a single record contains an error, the entire batch ingest will fail and no items will be created.
Example failure message:
This example, which was generated from the failed batch ingest of the Ingest Package shown in the above images, demonstrates some of the most common issues preventing a successful ingest. A few of the files were missing fields (either Date Issued, Row 2, or Title, Row 6), but the rest of the files were indicated as "No files listed." This can either indicate that a Content File was not included in the transferred files, or that there was an error in the "File" field. In this particular case, the folder was named "Other_Short_Films" while the path names were written as "other_short_films". Path and file names are case-sensitive, and therefore the batch ingest failed.
Other issues may involve incorrect formatting in other metadata fields; refer to the Batch Ingest Package Format for specific details about each field.