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Load File
Practical Law Glossary Item 1-521-0511 (Approx. 3 pages)
Glossary
Load File
In e-discovery, a data file that contains metadata and other information about the files in a set of electronically stored information (ESI).
Load files are often used to:
- Export extracted metadata from a processing tool, so that it can be uploaded to a document review platform.
- Provide metadata and other information about produced ESI to another party.
Load files vary, and not all load files are compatible with all document review platforms. Accordingly, counsel should negotiate load file specifications before generating a load file for another party's use.
Load files are most commonly part of document productions in which the ESI is produced as images. An image production typically includes:
- Single-page, Bates numbered images (such as TIFF or PDF files).
- A load file that:
- identifies the Bates numbers for each document;
- tracks the parent-child (family) relationships among the documents;
- includes select metadata for each document;
- provides select reviewer coding (such as the discovery request to which the document is responsive or whether a document is designated as confidential under a controlling protective order); and
- contains text extracted from the documents.
A producing party may opt to provide a load file with a native file production if they want (or are required to) provide metadata and other information about the native ESI in that manner.