An export should be evaluated by the fields it carries, not merely by its filename or row count. A catalogue can move successfully while losing alternate titles, guide keys, categories, artwork references or local viewing state. Define the required information before retiring the original setup.
A field inventory is a practical comparison list. It records what exists in the source, what the export includes and what the destination actually uses. Those three sets can differ even when all the files open without an error.
Start with the intended recovery
For a channel catalogue, source identity and guide relationships may be essential. For a series library, show-season-episode structure can matter. For a shared household, favourites and profiles may be just as important as descriptive metadata. Make those needs explicit instead of assuming one export format covers them all.
Referenced resources need separate attention. An image path is not the image bytes, and a guide address is not the current schedule database. A file can preserve references faithfully while the destination lacks access to the original dependencies.
Build the comparison
Keep unknowns separate from failures. If the export documentation does not mention progress state, mark it unverified until inspected or tested. Do not claim it is preserved simply because the source application displays it.
- List the fields and preferences essential to the actual viewing arrangement.
- Read the exporter’s documented scope.
- Inspect a private sample for those fields and their source context.
- Check the destination’s supported import mapping.
- Restore a representative sample and record which relationships actually survived.
Verify meaning, not just presence
A field can be present but misinterpreted. A category might become a provider label, an episode value can lose its numbering-system context, or a relative image path can resolve from a different base. Review semantics as well as text equality.
Private access data can also travel in fields that look like ordinary metadata. Protect the sample and avoid public online converters unless disclosure is understood and authorized. A migration checklist should not become an accidental public account backup.
After restoration, compare the specific items that motivated the inventory. Confirm a known guide mapping, alternate title, episode relationship or favourite rather than only counting rows. The final record should state exactly what was recovered, what was omitted and what remains untested. That evidence supports a reliable handover without claiming universal portability between unrelated players.
Useful answers
Does matching row count prove matching metadata?
No. Fields and relationships can be lost while the item count stays the same.
Is a saved image path the same as a backed-up image file?
No. The referenced bytes can be a separate dependency.
Should undocumented export behaviour be marked preserved?
No. Keep it unverified until supported by inspection or a relevant restoration test.