How to Migrate Data Into GoldFynch: Preparing Concordance and Relativity Exports the Right Way

16 December 2025 by ROSS eDiscovery data-migration concordance-exports load-files relativity-exports

Takeaway: A smooth import starts long before you click “process.” Clean exports, consistent paths, intact families, and a quick pass through GoldFynch’s free load-file viewer can save hours of troubleshooting later and make migrating data into GoldFynch far easier overall.

Migrating data into GoldFynch is straightforward, but the quality of your import depends on how the data is prepared before upload. Whether your production originated in Relativity, Concordance, or another review platform, a clean export makes all the difference.

This guide walks through preparing Concordance- and Relativity-style exports for GoldFynch, what to check before processing begins, and how to validate your load files to avoid common issues such as broken families, missing natives, or misaligned metadata.

GoldFynch formatting: A quick overview

GoldFynch accepts typical load-file productions: DAT load file import, OPT load file import, LFP load file import, CSV metadata import (eDiscovery), plus folders for native file import, OCR and text import eDiscovery, and images.

Here’s the short version of what GoldFynch prefers:

A load file (DAT, OPT, or LFP)
A folder of images (usually TIFF or JPEG)
A folder of text files (TXT)
A folder of natives
Consistent and correct paths in the load file
Stable document IDs
Clean metadata fields that match the load file’s delimiters

If your export matches that structure, the import will work without issues.

How to prepare concordance and relativity exports for GoldFynch

1. Start with a clean, standard export

When exporting from Relativity or any Concordance-style system, stick to the defaults whenever possible. GoldFynch’s import engine is designed to support standard formats from those systems.

Check these settings:

DAT file formatting
Use Concordance-style delimiters:
- Field delimiter: ASCII 20 (¶)
- Quote character: ASCII 254 (þ)
- Multi-value delimiter: ASCII 59 (;)
- Newline delimiter: ASCII 174 (®)
Relativity / Concordance metadata field names
Use consistent field names like BEGNO, ENDNO, BEGATTACH, ENDATTACH, CUSTODIAN, FILEPATH, and TEXTPATH.
OPT or LFP image load file
Confirm that the page IDs and paths match your images folder exactly.
Native file path field
This must point directly to the native file location inside the exported directory.

These details matter for metadata mapping during eDiscovery imports and for preserving document relationships.

2. Ensure family relationships are intact

GoldFynch relies on the BEGATTACH and ENDATTACH fields, or similar family-ID fields, to reconstruct families. If these values are missing or inconsistent, children may appear as top-level documents, or attachments may get lost.

Before exporting:

Confirm that emails and attachments share the same family range.
Make sure the parent document has a unique starting ID.
Ensure children fall within the appropriate family span.

If you’re moving cases between eDiscovery platforms, this step is essential. It’s the difference between a clean, review-ready import and a pile of loose documents.

3. Check that natives match entries in the DAT file

Your DAT file should reference every native file using a valid relative path. Three things often go wrong:

A path points to a native file that doesn’t exist.
The native file is present but has a different name.
The path contains extra folder levels or missing folder levels compared to your exported directory.

A simple way to check: pick a few rows in the DAT file and trace the native path. If you can locate the file by hand, GoldFynch will too.

4. Verify that text files line up with document IDs

GoldFynch accepts standard extracted text files or OCR text files. Each file should correspond to one document ID and appear under a text folder referenced in the DAT.

Check for:

Missing text files
Incorrect or truncated file names
Newlines or special characters inserted into the DAT text-path field

Text alignment matters for search quality and defensible workflows. It’s a core part of preserving metadata during eDiscovery import.

5. Folder structure should be predictable

GoldFynch doesn’t require a specific folder naming scheme, but the folder structure must match the load file. A typical import looks like:

/IMAGES
/TEXT
/NATIVES
loadfile.dat
loadfile.opt

If your export tool nests folders differently, that’s fine as long as the paths in the load file match.

What to check before triggering import in GoldFynch

Once you have your ZIP file or folder hierarchy, don’t upload it and start processing right away. GoldFynch lets you review the load file, verify metadata, and identify issues. It is one of the platform’s most significant advantages for defensible eDiscovery data migration.

Focus on the following:

1. Validate the load file with GoldFynch’s load-file viewer

GoldFynch has a free load file viewer that lets you preview how the system interprets your DAT, OPT, or LFP file. You can access it directly in your browser without logging in to your case. This makes it easy to:

Confirm that delimiters are parsed correctly
Check that fields aren’t shifted or merged
Verify that metadata values look right
Make sure page references and image paths are stable

If something looks off (blank fields, misaligned columns), fix the export before importing again.

2. Confirm metadata mapping

GoldFynch automatically suggests field mappings, but it’s worth reviewing them manually for:

Email fields (To, From, CC, BCC)
File system metadata (Created Date, Modified Date)
Custodian
Family relationship fields (BEGATTACH, ENDATTACH)
Native file path fields

A quick scan here prevents hours of cleanup later.

3. Check parent-child relationships

Use the preview to select a few known families (emails with multiple attachments or compound documents) and verify that the children link correctly.

4. Review native and text paths

GoldFynch will flag missing files during processing, but it’s easier to confirm early:

Do sample documents show native paths that look right?
Do text paths point into your TEXT folder?
Does the OPT file reference the correct image directory?

5. Look for mismatched page counts

When images are exported separately from text or natives, there is a possibility of a mismatch between page counts. GoldFynch will show page totals before processing. If you know an email should have five pages but the preview shows one, check your OPT file.

What happens after you upload

GoldFynch processes your import in stages:

Validates the structure and load file
Creates placeholder documents
Links metadata
Associates natives, images, and text files
Finalizes the document set for review

If anything is missing or malformed, GoldFynch reports it during processing so you can correct the export and try again.

This controlled workflow is key for anyone looking to import data into eDiscovery software or migrate an eDiscovery case without risking data loss.

Tips for a smooth migration

Here are a few practical habits that make eDiscovery data migration far less stressful:

Run a small test export first. Import a few documents to check formatting.
Normalize field names across exports whenever possible.
Keep a copy of the original exported ZIP in case you need to reprocess.
Don’t rename folders after export unless you also update the load file.
Document your metadata mapping choices so your team can follow the same structure going forward.

These small steps help ensure a cleaner, more reliable eDiscovery data transfer.

Bringing it all together

Switching eDiscovery platforms doesn’t have to be difficult. With a clean export from Relativity or any Concordance-style system, plus GoldFynch’s built-in validation tools, you can migrate cases without losing metadata, breaking families, or scrambling document IDs.

Focus on:

A standard, well-formatted load file
Accurate paths for natives, text, and images
Clean family relationships
Pre-processing validation using GoldFynch’s load file viewer

Do these, and your eDiscovery platform migration will stay defensible, predictable, and fast.

Ready to move your case into GoldFynch?

Validate your load files using GoldFynch’s free browser-based load file viewer, upload your data, and get started in minutes. If you need help with a complex export or guidance on migrating eDiscovery data, the GoldFynch support team is always available.

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