Introduction
To export record metadata from the system, use the Export to file wizard. This process includes choosing the export format, selecting which fields to include, and designating a location in the Archive Files directory to save the exported content.
After the export is complete, you can access Archive Files either with an S3-compatible client or by using the Archive Files administration page to download them.
The archive has three exporter formats:
- CSV & TAB Exporter – a column and rows text-based format that can be viewed in Excel and other spreadsheet apps.
- Dublin Core Exporter – an XML output of record data.
- KC Structured Data Exporter – a structured data format specifically developed for transferring complex data from one Keeping Culture archive to another.
For media-based records like Photos, Documents, Movies, Sounds, and Objects, you may include their associated files in a ‘media’ folder alongside the export metadata. If exporting records with Annotations, you can also add related audio and movie annotation files to the same folder.
When preparing an export for use with the Update via file or Merge from file operations—whether on your archive or another Keeping Culture archive—please ensure you export all media, annotation media, and select the option to include record UUIDs (if shown) in the Export to file wizard.
Features are central to the Keeping Culture system, but their metadata is not always compatible with other databases. To improve interoperability, the Export to file wizard includes the following options for when exporting Features:
- Merge identified Features into Tags, resulting in a single combined entry containing Tag and Feature values. Most database systems implement tags in one form or another.
- Generate and export a feature key image that names and identifies the location of features applied to Photo, Document, and Object records.
How to export records
- Conduct a search that will retrieve the records that you wish to export.
- Navigate to the Search Results page. If your search has retrieved multiple record classes, select the tab for the class you wish to export.
Optionally, if you require only a selection of the found records to be exported, then enable the checkboxes of those records to include in the exported. - In the Actions button menu (top-right of page), select Export to file.
- In the wizard, review the Copyright and Intellectual Property advice and, if appropriate, click Continue.
- Under the Records to export heading, if you have selected records in the search results for export, you may choose whether to export the selected records or all records in the search results. Otherwise, the only option will be all records.
- Under the File format and location heading, select the export Format, File name and Location for the contents of the export. It’s a good idea to export your records into a new folder within the Archive Files directory.
- Under the Allow export content restrictions heading, choose which export content restrictions to include or exclude.
Your selection is relevant to only restrictions applied to the Export restriction option of classes, records and attributes.
It does not override or effect Viewing restrictions. To remove Viewing restricted content from the export, exit the wizard and change your restrictions preferences to ‘Hide’ on the Account → Content restrictions page.
Click Continue. - The options presented in the Content step depend on the record class you are exporting and the file format you have selected.
Here are the possible options:- Media files – when exporting Archive Item records, you can choose to include archive viewing media or both archive viewing and thumbnail media with the export.
- Audio and Video Annotation recordings – when the record class being exported has Annotation attributes, you can choose whether to include any annotation media – audio and video records – with the export.
- Record Identifiers – record identifiers are used to identify the record when conducting an Update via file or Merge from file operation. Including record UUIDs is the best option if you intend on using either of the aforementioned operations.
- Attributes to export – select which attributes (fields) to include in the export. For Photos, Documents, Movies, Sounds and Objects, you will choose for attributes belonging to the Archive Item, Archive View and Media records.
- Additional content – option to include the archive’s URL to the record within the export.
- Spatial formatting – when the record class being exported contains spatial information, you can choose the Projection and Format for the exported spatial data.
- Once you have finished selecting the export options, click Continue.
- For similar reasons to the Content step, the options available in the Format step may include:
- File format configuration – these are export format options that are defined by the plugin. Using the default settings here is the best options.
- Text formatting – determines whether HTML formatting is removed from text in the export. If your intention is to conduct an Update via file or Merge from file operation with the exported metadata, it is advisable to retain HTML formatting in the export.
- Features – when the record class being exported contains Features there is an option to merge the identifier person or subject matter of the feature into the Tags fields. In addition, for Photo, Document and Object exports, a Feature Key image that identifiers Features in the media can be generated and included in the export.
- Once you have finished selecting your format options, click Continue.
- Upon completion, the wizard will report on the number of records processed, exported and skip because of restrictions. You can view the exported files in the Archive Files page if your account permission to do so. Alternatively, click Done.