Catalyst processes, loads and indexes 530 PST files (500+ Gigs) of Chinese data in days using Fast Track automated processing and loading system.

As an international contract dispute readied for arbitration in Hong Kong, our client, a U.S. multinational, needed to begin document review within days. But preparing the data for review presented challenges. The client had only back-up files-a 500+ GB collection of 530 separate PST files representing daily back-ups of all a former subsidiary's incoming and outgoing e-mail. The files contained 3.36 million documents in multiple languages, primarily English and Chinese. None had custodian information.

Challenge: Process the Data Rapidly and Prepare it For Review

The client needed the data processed, loaded and indexed as quickly as possible. Documents had to be sorted by language for review by either an English team in the U.S. or a Chinese team in Hong Kong. The client contacted Catalyst early in the week and wanted to begin review by Sunday afternoon (Monday morning in Hong Kong).

Solution: Automated Processing and Loading with Fast Track

Catalyst received a hard drive containing the data late on Tuesday. By the next morning, processing was underway. By Thursday, the first documents were being loaded into Catalyst CR. By Sunday morning, over 2 million of the files had been culled, batched and ready for review to begin. The speed of the turnaround was notable for the challenges presented by the data.

The entire project consisted of more than 530 processing and loading jobs. In the past, this work would have been done manually and might have taken two weeks to complete. In this case, Catalyst technicians used the newly released Fast Track automated processing and loading services. All they had to do was point to the drive and start the project. Every step thereafter (more than 1,000 individual steps) ran as an automated process. PSTs were exploded, de-duped, de-NISTed, culled and loaded without human intervention. Work that normally took hours or days suddenly was completed in minutes.

The final challenge was to devise a search strategy to reduce the volume needed to be reviewed, Working with the client, Catalyst Consulting developed searches that ultimately reduced the population by 93 percent, leaving just over 100,000 that needed to be reviewed. Review teams were able to move forward with a sharply reduced set on Sunday afternoon.

The Catalyst Advantage: Fast Track Processing Powers Quick Turnaround

With Catalyst Fast Track Processing and Loading, clients can submit email and other unprocessed electronic files directly to Catalyst CR for fully-automated processing and loading. Files are available within minutes or hours for search, review and production. Fast Track Processing allows clients to upload raw data of any type or language including Exchange PST, Notes NSF, Internet-Standard MBOX and loose files.

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