Bulk Uploading Content to the Platform: Process and Limitations

Overview

This article explains the bulk uploading process for bringing external content into the platform. It covers the steps involved, current limitations, and how support or engineering may assist with the manual aspects of bulk uploads.

Information

Bulk uploading content from external sources is a feature available on the platform, allowing users to transfer large amounts of content into their account. While the platform offers a self-service option for this, there are certain manual processes involved that may require support or engineering assistance. This article outlines the bulk upload process, its limitations, and how users can get help if needed.

Bulk Upload Process:
The bulk upload feature is designed to allow users to import content from other platforms, especially when migrating to the platform from a different service. Users typically want to transfer multiple articles, media files, or other assets at once, rather than uploading each file individually. Here’s how the bulk upload process works:

1. Users access the bulk upload option through the content management section of their account.
2. They upload a file that contains a structured list of the content to be imported. This file could be in a CSV or XML format, detailing the metadata (e.g., title, author, date) and links to the content itself.
3. The platform will then process the file and begin creating placeholders for the content within the user’s account.

Limitations of Bulk Uploads:

• Manual Processes: Even though the bulk upload feature is available, the platform requires manual intervention from support or engineering to complete the upload process. Support teams often work with users to ensure the data is correctly formatted and uploaded.
• File Format: The file format for bulk uploads must meet specific requirements, typically CSV or XML. If the format is incorrect, the upload may fail.
• Large Files: Uploading very large files can result in processing delays or system timeouts. It’s recommended to split large bulk uploads into smaller batches to avoid this issue.

Support and Engineering Assistance:
While users can initiate the bulk upload process themselves, they may require assistance from the support or engineering teams for the upload to complete successfully. This typically happens in cases where:

• The bulk upload file is incorrectly formatted and needs troubleshooting.
• The platform encounters issues processing the uploaded content.
• There are manual steps required on the back-end to finalize the upload.

To request assistance, users can contact support with the details of their bulk upload attempt, including any error messages they received or issues they encountered. The support team will then escalate the issue to engineering if necessary.

Future Improvements:
Engineering teams are working to streamline the bulk upload process to make it more automated and less dependent on manual intervention. In the future, the platform aims to allow users to complete bulk uploads entirely through self-service, reducing the need for support assistance.

Summary

This article explains how users can bulk upload content from external platforms into their accounts. While the feature is available, it often requires manual intervention from support or engineering to complete. Users are provided with steps to initiate the process, but they may need assistance with file formats, large uploads, or troubleshooting errors. Future improvements aim to make this process more automated.