Mediagraph allows you to import a spreadsheet of metadata to match with files based on the filename. This is a useful tool when migrating content from another system. You can map the data in a particular column of the spreadsheet to a metadata field of your choice. Continue reading to learn how to import metadata.
Preparing your data for import
- You need a column of filenames to match with. These need to be an exact match to the names of the files in Mediagraph. This includes file extensions.
- Each column needs to have a header to use in the metadata field mapping.
- It’s okay for cells to be blank if there is no entry for that file in a particular field.
- You may enter multiple keywords separated by a comma in a single keyword cell. Each keyword will come in as a separate item.
Pro Tip: If your spreadsheet contains any commas, such as those used to separate keywords, you won’t want to use a CSV format for metadata import. In general, an Excel-formatted document is the most problem-free format to use.
Uploading your data to Mediagraph
- Go to the Manage tab.
- Select Meta Imports from the sidebar on the left.
- Click the blue New Import button in the top right corner.
- Click Select File to open your computer’s upload dialog, where you can select a metadata file to upload. Supported file types are .csv, .tsv, .xls, and .xlsx.
- Choose a metadata type to match metadata to your files. Filename is the best way to match.
- Mediagraph will analyze your spreadsheet and match each row to a corresponding asset in your account. The Matches field will show you how many successful matches have been found. There should be at least one more row than match.
- In the Headers section, the column header from your spreadsheet will be listed. Choose a metadata field for the data from each column to map to. If your header name matches a standard IPTC metadata field, it will be preselected automatically. You can change this to a different field if you wish.
- Click Process Import.
- Once the entry in the status column reads "Processed," your metadata has been successfully added to the matched files.
- Make sure you examine the files to see that you had all the settings configured correctly.
Pro Tip: You can also create a free text Custom Metadata field, however it's generally better to create the fields you need before the import.
Troubleshooting
No matches found
If no matches are found at all, you’ll want to cancel the import and find the reason why.
Common issues include:
- The wrong column was selected for matching. Examine your spreadsheet and verify that you have chosen the right column.
- There is a mismatch in the filenames. For example, the spreadsheet may have been made from TIFF files, when JPEG files were uploaded. It’s also possible that the spreadsheet has omitted the file extension entirely. Both of these can be fixed in bulk in Excel or another spreadsheet program.
Non-matching rows
If every row in the spreadsheet matches a file, you will see that the count for Rows is one higher than the count for Matches, to account for the Column Header row. If the count is more than one number off, there are rows that can't be matched. There may be an extra entry in the spreadsheet, or there may be a typo or other error in the matching file name. You may want to cancel the import and explore the reason for the mismatch.
Duplicates
If the Duplicates field shows a number higher than 0, then you have more than one file with the same name as one of the matches. This could be caused by having a second copy of the matching file in the account. It could also be caused by a "name collision," where two different files have the same name.