Metadata Mapping
Location: Case >> Add Case Documents
General
Once an incoming eDiscovery document production with load files has been processed in the case (see Self-Upload of Productions with Load Files), the next step is to map the metadata present in the accompanying .dat file, which is a necessary step that preserves crucial and relevant information related to the documents. Failure to properly map the metadata can affect certain aspects of document review including searching, filtering, sorting and maintaining email parent and attachment relationships.
The ability to map metadata is limited to users with upload permissions (Account Administrators, Power Users and Standard Users + Add/Delete) and requires a basic understanding of common metadata fields and metadata management.
Professional Services can assist with metadata mapping at their standard hourly rate. Please reach out at support@lexbe.zohodesk.com if assistance is needed.
Understanding the .dat file
Almost all .dat files are different in that metadata fields are named differently depending on the eDiscovery platform that generated the production. Typical .dat files are text based files that when viewed look similar to the image at the right.
Each horizontal row in the .dat file represents a single document (e.g., RED 0000001, RED 0000003, RED 0000005, etc.), and each vertical column (e.g., BEGDOC, ENDDOC, BEGATT, ENDATT, etc.) contains a specific piece of information (the "metadata") about that document.
Click to see common types of Metadata found in a standard .dat file
Production Details. If the document is produced, this would include the beginning and ending Bates numbers of the document; and for email families, the beginning and ending Bates numbers of the attachments. Examples of how these field titles may vary are below.
Beginning Bates Number: BEGDOC, BEGBATES, PRODBEG, BATESBEGIN, etc.
Ending Bates Number: ENDDOC, ENDBATES, PRODEND, BATESEND, etc.
Beginning Attachment: BEGATT, PRODBEGATT, BEGRANGE, etc.
Ending Attachment: ENDATT, PRODENDATT, ENDRANGE, etc.
Email Metadata. Information such as the sender, recipient(s), subject, date and time for emails (i.e., FROM, TO, CC, BCC, SUBJECT, DATESENT, TIMESENT (and variations of these field titles).
Custodian. The person or source from whom the document was collected.
File Name/Path. The original file name (often FILENAME, ORIGINAL TITLE, or TITLE) or the original location (i.e., PATH, SOURCE FILEPATH, FILEPATH) of the document.
Document Dates. Date metadata associated with the documents.
Date Sent/Time Sent: The date and time an email was sent. Variations on field titles below:
DATESENT, SENTDATE, SENTDATE/TIME, EMAIL SENT DATE, etc.
TIMESENT, SENTTIME, EMAIL SENT TIME, etc.
Date Received/Time Received: The date and time an email was received. Variations on field titles below:
DATERECEIVED, DATERECD, RECEIVEDDATE/TIME, etc.
TIMERECEIVED, TIMEREC'D, etc.
Date Created/Time Created: The date and time a file was created. Variations on field titles below:
DATECREATED, CREATEDATE, CREATE DATE/TIME, etc.
TIMECREATED, CREATETIME, etc.
Date Last Modified/Time Last Modified: The date and time a file was last modified. Variations on field fitles below:
DATELASTMODIFIED, LASTMODDATE, DATEMOD, etc.
TIMELASTMODIFIED, LASTMODTIME, TIMEMOD, etc.
Page Counts, File Types, and various other types of metadata associated with the produced documents.
Please see the Help Page on Standard Metadata Processing and Load File Fields that are common across most eDiscovery platforms (except for slight variations in how they are named).
Mapping the .dat file
1. Once an upload batch has been validated (see the Upload Validation Help Page for information), click the Validation Status, and in the upper right corner, click the blue Dat Map button.
2. This will open the .dat file mapping page with five (5) columns displayed:
Dat Column: Lists the metadata fields provided in the .dat file that must be mapped to the desired "Lexbe Field." Field names may vary depending on the software that originated the .dat file.
Lexbe Field: The available fields in Lexbe for mapping the information in the "Dat Column."
Sample Data columns 1, 2 and 3: Columns showing samples of the data associated with each item in the "Dat Column" field. (NOTE: If the 3 sample data columns are all empty, it means there was no information in those columns of the .dat file.
3. Begin mapping the metadata from the "Dat Column" by selecting the appropriate "Lexbe Field." NOTE: Some metadata will have automatically been selected during processing, while other Lexbe Fields indicate -ignore-.
a. The beginning Bates number as provided in the .dat file will usually automatically map to the "Bates (Title)" field, and the attachments referenced in the .dat file will usually automatically map to the "Parent Id" field.
b. In the "Lexbe Field" column, if the Bates (Title) field and the Parent Id field are already selected, do not change them.
i. If one or both of these fields says -ignore-, use judgment to determine which item in the "Dat Column" most closely matches the starting or beginning Bates number of the document (for the Bates (Title) field) or the beginning Bates number of the attachment (for the Parent Id field), and map these appropriately. If you are unsure about which to select, please reach out to Professional Services at support@lexbe.zohodesk.com for assistance.
c. The ending Bates number (e.g., ENDDOC, ENDBATES, etc.) and the end Attachment number should not be mapped and should remain set to -ignore-.
d. See the image below for an example of proper mapping to ensure email families are linked.
Mapping the Date Fields
Many times, depending on the .dat file, the various date fields may automatically map to the corresponding Lexbe Fields, i.e, Date Sent, Date Received, Date Created, and Date Last Modified. See the breakout of the various date fields below (with images in each dropdown) for mapping examples.
Date Sent: Used to map the metadata associated with the email Date Sent and Time Sent fields in the "Dat Column." Both the date and time (if provided can be mapped to the Date Sent field.
Date Received: Used to map the metadata associated with both the email Date Received and Time Received fields in the .dat file. Both the date and time fields (if provided) can be mapped to the Date Received field.
Date Created: Used to map the metadata associated with both the creation date and time of a document as provided in the .dat file. Both the date and time fields (if provided) can be mapped to the Date Created field.
Date Last Modified: Used to map the metadata associated with both the date and time last modified as provided in the .dat file. Both the date and time fields (if provided) can be mapped to the Date Last Modified field.
Email Metadata Fields
Most .dat files will automatically map to the To, From, Cc, Bcc and Subject Lexbe Fields (if provided as indicated in the .dat file).
Mapping other Fields
For any Lexbe Fields with an -ignore- status, you can map the metadata from the Dat Column to any existing field available in the -ignore- dropdown (fields already mapped will be grayed out).
Creating a Field to Map On-the-Fly
1. If there is no corresponding Lexbe Field available that matches the field in the Dat Column, one can be created, if desired, by clicking the blue +.
2. Select an existing section or add a new one, enter the field title and select "Text Field" and then click Create.
3. The .dat mapping page will refresh, and the field will now be mapped to the newly created field.
Finalizing and Mapping the .dat Fields
Once all desired fields in the Dat Column have been mapped to the appropriate or desired Lexbe Field, click Save & Apply in the bottom right corner of the mapping page. The page will then display the message "Metadata is being generated or applied, this page will reload after it completes" and will refresh once the metadata has been fully mapped.**
NOTE: The time it takes to refresh the mapping page (i.e., completely map the fields) depends on the number of documents in the upload batch. It should refresh within a few seconds for small data sets and within a few minutes for larger data sets.
Once the page refreshes, click "Browse Upload" in the upper right corner to view the documents.
For Professional Services Assistance:
If you are uncertain which fields in the Dat Column should be mapped, or if you have any questions regarding the process, reach out to Professional Services at support@lexbe.zohodesk.com. Billable rates will apply.