Custom Metadata, which are fields introduced through DISCO's load file ingest and overlay functionality, must be assigned a data type within DISCO. The following supported field types are listed with proper syntax and data validation requirements.
This feature is currently in Walk.
Creating a custom field with data type
When ingesting a load file or overlay file, the field mapping screen directs users to define family relationships and map the load file fields to DISCO’s fields.
In cases where a custom field is newly created by typing in a new custom field, the user will be required to select a field data type from the dropdown menu on the right.
The data type for a custom field cannot be changed after creation.
Custom metadata field types and limits
Free text
A free text field can be any string of text, including longer bodies of text, such as email or participant lists. It is not required to be unique to a document, but may be useful for certain unique identifiers.
Text values can be searched using truncation, wildcard, fuzzy, proximity, etc. Searches on free text will be tokenized, meaning any part of the value may be searched. For example, a search for a value within the "CustomField" would look like: "CustomField"(any value within text blob)
Free text fields are unsortable (all other custom fields are sortable).
Text list
A text list type field will have a specific limited set of text string values. The values are generally short text and may be shared or overlapped across documents. For example, the values might be "dog, cat, mouse, fish" or "high, medium, low" etc. but is distinctly not a boolean such as "true/false".
All text list values will be case insensitive, and normalized as lowercase in Filters. For example, the values PDF, Pdf, and pdf will be one filter value.
Boolean
A boolean may be Yes/No, y/n, true/false, t/f, 1/0 as accepted values.
Integer
For positive or negative whole numbers, but not decimals. For decimal number values, use the free text option.
Integer values can be sorted low-high or high-low and can be searched using >, <, to, etc.
Datetime
For datetime or date values. Date values in the future can be accepted for custom fields. However, this cannot be a time-only value. For time-only values, use the free text option.
Datetime values can be sorted earliest-latest or latest-earliest and may be searched by range using before, after, to, etc.
Limits
Total custom metadata fields
- A maximum of 100 unsortable free text fields may be created in a single review database.
- Other than free text fields, a maximum of 100 custom fields may be created among all other sortable data types in a single review database.
- So a database could have a maximum of 200 custom fields, with 100 free text fields + 100 custom fields that are any of the following: text list, boolean, integer, datetime.
Total size
- The maximum total size of all custom fields across all instances of a single review document is 1,048,576 bytes.
Type limits
- Free text: maximum byte size is 51,200 bytes per document
- Text list: maximum 250 items per document
- Text list element (single item): 1000 bytes
- Integer: [-9223372036854775808 , 9223372036854775807] or [-2^63, 2^63-1]
- This is a larger 64-bit integer storage limit for long integers
Using custom metadata fields
Custom Metadata fields can be added to a custom view.
When creating a document list export at the document or instance level, custom fields with data types will now appear at the end of the report.
Custom Metadata can be added to Filters and Search Builder with data type-specific data visualization and search treatments available.
The Document Viewer will also display custom fields on the righthand panel, underneath standard document metadata.
Custom metadata may also be added as columns in Productions.