Archive 1.x:First Steps with New Content

When faced with new content, a general plan of attack is warranted. Fortunately, with the canonical (RDF) format of the OSF, there is a framework to bring in this data and integrate it.

When contemplating adding new data to the system, here are some considerations to first consider:


 * 1) Do you need a special layout to display the data (in which case, it incurs some Layout coding)? If so, see Overview of Layouts and_Design
 * 2) Is the data new (a new kind of data), or is it of an existing type? If the data is of an existing type, then making sure it is mapped (or related) to an existing type is the right path. If the kind of data is new, some time will need to be spent on adding the new data structure to the system. See #4 below
 * 3) What is the format of the data? If it is found within an existing data store, such as a relational database, then it will need to have a transformation script written to migrate the data; see, for example, Preparing Internal Datasets. If it is new data and not of unusually large size (in terms of numbers of records), then it is likely best to prepare it as a commON file; see further Incorporating Small Datasets. If it is already in RDF, then it can be incorporated in a straightforward manner
 * 4) Depending, you will likely have to update the NOW ontology a bit to cope to deal with the new types and properties arising from these additions. See especially Adding a New Ontology Concept
 * 5) Check to make sure the new data has all of the proper labels and annotations for working smoothly within the OSF framework; see the Ontology Best Practices guidance.

In all cases, it is important to put workflows in process that cover standard migration activities within your organization. The two big parts of such a migration activity are:


 * 1) Converting the data (using the proper attributes to make them mappable on the maps, etc)
 * 2) Templating the data (if it is not already templated)

The complexity of these two areas is defined by the few factors above. But by putting the proper workflows and processes in place, this challenge can become a measurable and repeatable working task.