BrainVISA provides a default data structure.

Database -> Protocol -> Subject -> Categories (and others levels for sub_categories such as fMRI session for instance)

The files are characterized by:

- a name (ex: toto.ima and toto.dim)

- a type defined by the BrainVISA data structure (ex: Raw T1 MRI)

- a format or extension defined by the BrainVISA data structure (ex: GIS format, described by .dim and .ima)

The import process allows you to associate a data item with a protocol name and a subject name.

If you rename the files managed by BrainVISA, they will no longer comply with the data structure and will not be recognized.

You can work without the BrainVISA data structure (file conversion).