Editions

This option is now available for all users of v6.1 and above from Professional through to Enterprise Perform and for on-premise users.

Note: the limits on the size of ingest packages for your edition continue to apply, the “Incremental” aspects of this method enable you to keep within these limits and ingest at scale. This option does not enable you to ingest single files over the size limit.

The method is not available for Starter.

Preservica Versions

This document is valid from v6.5.

Introduction

Preservica has introduced the option to ingest an OPEX (Open Preservation Exchange Format of folders and files, to enable users to organise content into an easy to understand format with human readable metadata. Then using the OPEX ingest workflow, to handle the OPEX in a single operation.

Customers may utilise this for a variety of use cases:

• A one-off ingest of a large volume of content when a system is being deprecated to create a structure which mirrors the deprecated system
• To perform a regular, automated ingest into Preservica, with the content being added to existing folders or new folders based on a Source ID or using a title
• To provide a single standard for donors to deliver content to a central Preservica for automated ingest

Addition of optional .opex metadata alongside the files and folders, enables for example: the addition of descriptive metadata, instructions as to the destination of the content, comparison with the original fixities or auditing of the content post-ingest.

A Monitor page is available to follow the ingest process.

The ingest process allows users to send multiple OPEXs over time and using an ID from the Source (or the folder titles) to enable users to prevent duplicate ingests, whilst adding new files and folder to the initial structure if appropriate.

It is expected these ingests may be long running processes but will require less human intervention than using tools such as PUT (Preparation and Upload) or SIP Creator.

To fully utilise the functionality, users are advised to provide .opex metadata at folder and file level, however the process will operate without them.

OPEX Schema

The OPEX metadata schema is published HERE for more details of how to construct the metadata file, but for convenience it is also attached (although it needs to be renamed to .xsd). Please note that the OPEX schema is published under Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) licence.