Creating Excel or Other Spreadsheet Metadata Files for Batch Loading Into Tizra

The guidelines below are intended to help with preparation of spreadsheet files to be sent to Tizra for batch loading into the platform. For guidance on preparing PDF files, see our PDF Prep Guide. Consult your support rep with any questions.

Basics

• Start with a standard spreadsheet with column headings across the top containing the names of each metadata field (aka "property"). This template may be helpful.
• The metadata record for each content item (i.e., each document, video, post, etc.) should go on a single row of the spreadsheet. Don’t insert non-metadata rows, such as category headings, between rows, or break records across multiple lines.
• The only required properties for a content item in Tizra are a Title, and the names of any associated files (such as PDFs, images, etc.). If your spreadsheet contains properties that are not already in your Tizra site, they will be created.
• When the sheet is complete, verify that all fields are in the Text format (as opposed to Number, Currency, Accounting, etc.). You can check this by highlighting the cells in Excel, then right clicking and selecting Format Cells, then looking in the Number tab. See below.

Special Properties

Multiple Values

In fields containing multiple values (such as topics, tags or authors), each value should be separated by a semicolon. For example, a field containing multiple topics should be filled out like this:
    Topic 1;Topic 2;Topic 3
Note: Do NOT use colons within fields with multiple values.

Long-form content (e.g., abstracts, descriptions or posts)

For longer-form prose that may require simple formatting such as paragraph breaks, bold, italic, etc., text should be provided either in HTML or in Markdown. Note: For consistency of formatting, a limited subset of tags are supported, including...

• Paragraph breaks
• Italic
• Bold
• Bulleted list
• Numbered list

If unsure, please check with your support rep.

Authors

If you want to be able to sort items alphabetically by author, arrange the names so the letters to be sorted on are at the beginning. For example:
    Hernández, James L;Jones, Jane R., PhD;Smith, John A., ed.

Dates

Dates should be entered in YYYY-MM-DD format. For example, for February 12, 2024, enter:
    2024-02-12

Content files

If the metadata record relates to a PDF or other content file that will be imported as part of the batch load, identify it by putting its filename into a column provided for that purpose. Notes:

• Filenames must match EXACTLY (including case and file extension). Do not include directory paths, unless you are referencing files hosted on a web server, in which case you should provide the full URL for the file.
• If files are to be displayed in the Tizra online reader, they should generally be in PDF format and should be referenced in a column under the heading PdfSource.
• If there are multiple files associated with a record, there should be a separate column for each. (Consult with your support rep to make sure it's clear how each kind of file should be handled.)

Preview images

If you want to provide a preview, cover or similar image to be displayed in content listings and detail pages, create a separate spreadsheet column under the heading CoverImage and enter its exact filename or URL similar to content files above. Note: Tizra can automatically generate preview images from PDF files and from videos hosted in platforms like Vimeo and YouTube, so it's often not necessary to upload separate previews.

Supplements and other related files

If you want to make files available as Attachments (files in any format which can be downloaded from content detail page or reader sidebar), reference them in via a separate column similar to preview images.

Updating previously loaded content

If you are using a batch load to update content that has previously been loaded, the best place to start is by exporting the previously loaded metadata from Tizra.

The screenshot below shows how to do this from the Tizra Admin.

Once you have downloaded the metadata from Tizra, follow these steps...

1. Select the columns you want to update. Columns that you do not want changed should be left out of the sheet you send to Tizra, except for the TizraIdentifier as noted below.
2. Make sure that for every item to be updated, you have included the TizraIdentifier exported from Tizra so we can match on the item to be updated.
3. Send the updated sheet to your point of contact at Tizra.

IMPORTANT: Every time a new spreadsheet is uploaded, it will overwrite previously loaded metadata in ALL of the fields it contains (including any metadata you have edited via the web interface since it was loaded). Every item represented by a row in the sheet will be updated (and any items that are NOT present in the sheet will be unchanged on the server). If there are particular fields that you do not want updated based on the new sheet, you must leave the columns for those fields entirely out of the sheet.