We’ve recently completed a major overhaul of datastore, the research data repository of the University of Münster. The service has been fully rebuilt and is now running on InvenioRDM v14.0.0b4.
This relaunch also marks a major technology shift: the previous datastore service was based on a Java/React stack. Moving to InvenioRDM helps us ensure sustainable maintenance and long-term future viability by building on a shared, actively developed codebase.
datastore is available at: https://datastore.uni-muenster.de/
What’s improved
The new system brings major improvements, both functionally and in terms of usability:
- Publish datasets up to 5 TB
Records can now include datasets up to 5 terabytes, better supporting data-intensive projects. - Modern, streamlined UI
A clearer interface and updated design make creating and publishing records easier. - Improved deposit guidance
More structured submission steps support more consistent documentation. - Standardized metadata
Richer, more consistent metadata improves discoverability and supports long-term reuse.
CRIS-assisted metadata entry (local integration)
To reduce manual entry and improve metadata quality, we implemented a local integration with the University of Münster’s Current Research Information System (CRIS). During deposit, users can retrieve project-related metadata from CRIS and use it as a basis for describing their dataset.
Curation workflow with invenio-curations
All submissions are curated by the University and State Library (ULB) and the Service Center for Data Management. We use the invenio-curations module developed in collaboration by TU Graz and TU Wien to ensure compliance with our metadata requirements and repository standards, improving the quality and reusability of published datasets.
We also extended the module with additional features, e.g. ensuring that records remain locked for editing while they are in curation, which helps avoid conflicting changes and keeps the review process consistent.
Access and availability
Deposits are available to University of Münster members. Published records can generally be viewed openly, depending on the access settings chosen for a dataset. The interface is currently English-only; a fully translated German UI is planned for May using the InvenioRDM translation workflow improved by the new translation bundle feature from TU Graz.
For those interested in learning more about our implementation, you can contact our team at forschungsdaten@uni-muenster.de.