Help! I want to migrate data from Excel to the database Atom .

[marioz...@gmail.com]

HELP!

I wish to migrate data from an Excel file to the database Atom .

Thankyou

[Dan Gillean]

Hi there,

Please see our instructions for CSV import, and the CSV import templates we provide on our wiki:

• 2.3 CSV import instructions: https://www.accesstomemory.org/docs/2.3/user-manual/import-export/csv-import/
• CSV templates: https://wiki.accesstomemory.org/Resources/CSV_templates

We have tried to make these instructions as detailed as possible, but there will be analysis, mapping, and manual data cleanup required on your part for a successful data migration project.

AtoM's archival description templates, and by consequence, our CSV import templates, are based on known standards, such as the ICA'S ISAD(G) standard. If your data is described using a content standard such as ISAD(G), then mapping your data to AtoM's CSV column headers should be pretty easy. If you have not followed any standards in your internal data creation, and/or you have many custom fields, then you will have to do more work to review the standards and determine how you would like to map the data.

Essentially, the work looks something like this:

• Download our CSV import template from the wiki for the version of AtoM you are going to use. If you are just starting, we recommend the latest version, 2.3.
  
• The 2.3 CSV template examples include 2 sample rows - the sample data includes the name of all the ISAD(G) fields to which the column maps in AtoM. This should help you understand how the columns are used. If you want to see what it looks like in AtoM, try importing the CSV example template, and compare the CSV to the result. You can also look at our Data entry pages for some guidance on mappings. Here's the one for ISAD(G):
  
• https://www.accesstomemory.org/docs/2.3/user-manual/data-templates/isad-template/
  
• Compare the sample CSV columns against your data, and make decisions about mapping. In some cases you might need to do data cleanup - some fields in AtoM are controlled fields or taxonomies (such as subject and place access points) where you would want consistency. In some cases you might need to combine 2 fields into one AtoM CSV column, or vice versa. There are tools out there you can use to help with data clean up, but largely the decision-making will require your manual review, analysis, and decision making.
• Make sure you understand how AtoM handles related entities, such as authority records and terms. For every creator or name access point in AtoM, a new authority record is created - this encourages reuse. This also means that the biogaphical/administrative history is stored with the authority record, NOT in the description - and if you have different histories for each description (instead of one history per actor as the standards recommend), you might have problems during import. Do some tests in AtoM so you understand how these relationships work first. Some links:
  
• https://www.accesstomemory.org/docs/2.3/user-manual/add-edit-content/authority-records/#authority-bioghist-access
• https://www.accesstomemory.org/docs/2.3/user-manual/add-edit-content/terms/#term-name-vs-subject
• https://www.accesstomemory.org/docs/2.3/user-manual/import-export/csv-import/#on-authority-records-archival-descriptions-and-csv-imports
  
• When your data is in the AtoM CSV import template format, make sure you save it as a CSV, not an Excel file. In fact you will need to make sure you are using UTF-8 encoding and the proper line endings - see this part of our documentation. Mircrosoft Excel can do all those things, but they make it *very* difficult to find all the settings - you might want to consider using something like the open-source LibreOffice Calc instead - it allows you to set your character encoding and other elements very easily every time you open or save a CSV file. 
• Be sure you are representing hierarchical relationships (e.g. between a parent records like a fonds or collection and children, such as a series, file, or item) - during import, any parent record MUST come before the child record (e.g. in a row above) or else the import will fail. AtoM will import your CSV row by row, so if it tries to import a child record that refers to a parent, but the parent has not been created yet, it generates an error. See these links in our docs for managing hierarchical relationships via the legacyID and parentID columns in the CSV:
  
• https://www.accesstomemory.org/docs/2.3/user-manual/import-export/csv-import/#legacy-id-mapping-dealing-with-hierarchical-data-in-a-csv
• https://www.accesstomemory.org/docs/2.3/user-manual/import-export/csv-import/#legacyid-and-parentid
• Run a test import. If you are importing more than 100 rows of data, we recommend using the command-line -- instructions are included on the same page as the link above. If your CSV is very small, you can try importing it via the user interface. Make sure you review the test import thoroughly, so you understand how the data imported and why, and can determine if there were any problems or unexpected outcomes.
  
• If all has gone well, you are ready for a full data migration! Good luck!
  

I hope that helps. If this seems overwhelming, be aware that Artefactual also offers paid data migration services, so we can help you. See:

• https://www.artefactual.com/services/
  

Regards,

Dan Gillean, MAS, MLIS
AtoM Program Manager
Artefactual Systems, Inc.
604-527-2056

@accesstomemory

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