Records export, transfer and ingest recommendations and SIP Creation Tools

This report describes a software deliverable as it delivers a number of E-ARK tools: • ERMS Export Module (a tool for exporting records and their metadata from ERMS in a controlled manner); • Database Preservation Toolkit (a tool for exporting relational databases as SIARD 2.0 or other formats); • ESSArch Tools for Producer (a tool for SIP creation); • ESSArch Tools for Archive (a tool for SIP ingestion); • RODA-in (a tool for SIP creation); • Universal Archiving Module (a tool for SIP creation). In addition, an overview of Pre-Ingest and Ingest processes will be provided by this report which will help to understand the tools and their use

SMURF (Semantically Marked Up Record Format) Profile

The purpose of this report is to describe SMURF (semantically marked up record format) profile, which includes ERMS (electronic records management systems) and SFSB (simple file-system based) records as described below. When extracting information from a producer’s system one has the choice of two generic options: 1. Extracting data in a relational database structure Extracting data from a relational database into a long-term preservation format (SIARD) that preserves the properties of the relational database so that the data can be imported into a relational database management system (RDBMS) on Access. Access can happen via database queries or via a search field. The main access use cases are: a. The producer wishes to retrieve their data for business purposes and/or re-use. b. The consumer wishes to consult the data for purposes of research. c. The archivist wishes to retrieve the data for professional treatment: to check and, if necessary perform preservation actions, etc. More information about this option can be read in the SIARD 2.0 Profile Specification. 2. Extracting data and metadata as records Extract the records and normalise them to a standard E-ARK XML format. This means that the records are semantically marked up using metadata. Being technically valid and complying with this specification makes them directly accessible for validation, data management, indexing and searching. Their structured semantic metadata description is explicit rather than hidden inside a RDBS. The representation of descriptive metadata inside the archive can be in the E-ARK SMURF AIP format and/or another native archive format. The main advantages over the RDBS representation are that: o Records from different sources can be merged. o Search and access is possible across all records from all sources. o Records can be managed and accessed uniformly. o The original database / records system software does not need to be licensed and preserved