Ingest and export RSMF data

Nuix Workstation v100.2.0 now supports ingesting and exporting the Relativity Short Message Format (RSMF) file type generated by Relativity’s RelOne application. This format is designed to support the key features of the major chat platforms, and includes being able to ingest and export read receipts and edits of chat messages.

This functionality is also captured in a Nuix RSMF Export API.

Background

In 2021 the communication-based data of more than 40 chat platforms was transformed and reviewed by Relativity (RelOne) through the introduction of their Relativity Short Message Format (RSMF). This format standardizes the format of the following chat applications and provides a single native format to export and process: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Text messages (MMS, SMS, iMessage, Whatsapp), Google Chat, Bloomberg Chat, and Instagram.

Previously customers when provided with RSMF files exported out of RelOne (Relativity) had no way to ingest these files on other platforms so that they could search on and review their content. With no way of directly reviewing RSMF files exported out of RelOne (Relativity) without third-party tools, and with the volume of customers using Teams and other chat systems, the need to review and interact with the contents of RSMF files, while maintaining chat threading and attachment relationships, has become ever more critical.

Now Nuix Workstation provides you with the ability to:

• Directly ingest, review and interact with the contents of imported RSMF files as if they were processed through natives or collected through our connectors.
• Directly do the above with the contents of exported RSMF files
• Directly load an export of Cellebrite or RelOne data in RSMF format version 1.0 and 2.0 into Nuix Workstation which then can be imported by customers into Relativity or Legalview, for example.

About the Relativity Short Message Format (RSMF)

An RSMF file is an RFC 5322 (Internet Message Format) standards-compliant file that encapsulates normalized short message data. RSMF streamlines and standardizes the review of communications from mobile devices (chat, SMS and MMS) in their Short Message Viewer for a more efficient and user-friendly experience. This allows eDiscovery experts to view short message format files, including SMS, Slack, Skype, Apple iMessage, Microsoft Teams, Text messages (MMS, SMS, iMessage, Whatsapp), Google Chat, Bloomberg Chat, and Instagram. RSMF files are also compatible with a wide range of Emoji, emoticons, and attachments. 

Supported chat platforms

Relativity officially supports the following chat platforms:

• Bloomberg
• Google chat
• Google hangouts
• iMessage platforms
• Skype
• Slack
• SMS or MMS

How to ingest and process RSMF files

You ingest a RSMF.zip using the Add Evidence window and add RMSF data using the Add Files or Add Folders option. When you ingest a case with several RSMF files in it, you view each of these files as a RFC822 Email Message. Each RFC822 email message contains a zip file as an attachment named rsmf.zip. The rsmf.zip attachment is where the detailed short message data resides. This zip contains loose files, (for example, .jpg, .png, .pptx, and .xlsx), and the zip may even contain one or more directories.

rsmf_manifest.json

Importantly, the zip file contains a single rsmf_manifest.json file at the root level, that describes short message activity (and is seen in the Preview pane as a "RSMF Manifest file"). The root of a manifest file has a version, a Participants folder (with a file for each named participant), and a Conversations folder, and a list of events. Additional files, such as attachments and avatars, must be at the root level as well. 

The Conversations folder holds files of chat conversations or channels, where each contains individual messages, some with their own attachments, child conversations, and child files of reactions.

 

Chat messages list in descending date-time order (by default), with Start and End times, and if there is no End time, then the Start time is the message's Communication date. 

 

How to export RSMF files to Nuix Discover

Now customers of all license types can ingest RSMF files in Nuix Workstation and can export one or more RSMF (rsmf_manifest.json) files, on right-clicking them in the Results pane, and using either of the following Nuix Workstation features: 

• Export > Promote to Discover, allowing you in Nuix Discover, to view all chat messages and see which ones have "join" events. 
• Export >  RSMF Export - This option is currently in a Beta state.

Export RSMF files to Nuix Discover

To export RSMF files to Nuix Discover:

1. Select the items you want to export.
2. Right-click and select Export > Promote to Discover
3. eTC

Export RSMF files as part of a Legal Export

To export RSMF files as part of a Legal Export:

1. Select the items you want to export.
2. Right-click and select Export > Legal Export to > RSMF Export.
   The RSMF Export dialog opens on the Export Type TAB?
3. In the Files to Export section, do as follows:
   • In Export, select the level of items and descendants you want to capture, and optionally select the Export documents containers check box.
   • In Top-level duplicate xxxxx, select
   • In Sort order, select the dfjdjfj, options include:
4. In the Exxxxx Settings section, against Export directory, select jfkjdjk:
5. In the Mxxxxx Settings section, against Export directory, select the Xxxx check box if xxxx
6. Select the Show pre-export summary check box and click Xxxxx
   
   If selected items are compatible, the export process starts.
   If some of the selected items are incompatible, an Export Warning appears with options to:
   • Cancel the export and readjust your selection of items.
   • Deselect these items, remove them from the export process, and restart the export process without them.

You can also choose to run the export process in the background. Either way a dialog with progress bar indicates in real time how many items were successfully exported. On completion of the export, an Export Results dialog opens to confirm how many items were successfully exported.

For more information on how to create a RSMF file, see Relativity documentation.

Benefits of reviewing RSMF data in Nuix Workstation

The following points summarize the benefits of being able to review RSMF data in Nuix Workstation:

• A holistic view of all data: Whether from a mobile device, laptop, or the cloud, you can load all relevant data into a single case. This greatly speeds investigations by providing a single view of all your data at once, instead of needing to add data in a siloed approach. It also allows you to apply the same searches or filters to all of it making it easy to find connections and leads within that data.
• Promote to Discover feature: Enables reviewers to use the Nuix Discover platform for further review and analysis.
• Collaboration and advanced analytics: The following Nuix tools give you further options to collaborate, and streamline the process of dividing up the review work:
  • Nuix Investigate, whose Mobile search filters pinpoint data of interest for review in a familiar format.
  • Nuix Discover, whose near native chat review experience clarifies the flow and context of conversations.

Supported MIME types 

The Nuix Supported File Types v100.2.0 document lists RSMF file types under the following MIME types:

Supported RSMF specification versions and features

• RSMF version 1 and version 2 specifications are supported.
• RSMF message, conversations, attachments and RSMF message reactions are supported and can be promoted to Nuix Discover for further review and analysis.

For more information on promoting items to Nuix Discover, see the Promote to Discover section under Export data in the Nuix Workstation User Guide.

Limitations of RSMF files

Relativity recommends you create and process RSMF files that are no greater than 200MB in size, as files larger than this may result in errors or might be unable to be processed.

Recommended: Limit each RSMF file to contain no more than 10,000 events to ensure high performance in Relativity.

The limitations are valid when exporting RSMF files from both Cellebrite and Oxygen. To export larger RSMF files you must split them.