diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c18aff6e..3d771524 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -29,6 +29,6 @@ this setup will work on other systems. Assumptions made are that you have sudo p
     - `./manage.py test` test with migrations (recommended if model changes)
     - NB: When running tests ensure `DEBUG = True` in the settings.py file (specifically `SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = True` causes REST tests to fail)
 
-```
-$ /manage.py test -n
+```shell
+./manage.py test -n
 ```
diff --git a/alyx/actions/serializers.py b/alyx/actions/serializers.py
index 0809e779..75da211d 100644
--- a/alyx/actions/serializers.py
+++ b/alyx/actions/serializers.py
@@ -100,6 +100,13 @@ class SessionDatasetsSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
     default_revision = serializers.CharField(source='default_dataset')
     qc = BaseSerializerEnumField(required=False)
 
+    def to_representation(self, instance):
+        """Override the default to_representation method to null the revision field."""
+        representation = super().to_representation(instance)
+        if representation.get('revision') is None:
+            representation['revision'] = ''
+        return representation
+
     class Meta:
         list_serializer_class = FilterDatasetSerializer
         model = Dataset
diff --git a/alyx/data/models.py b/alyx/data/models.py
index f8e42909..6b6674c0 100644
--- a/alyx/data/models.py
+++ b/alyx/data/models.py
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ def __str__(self):
     def save(self, *args, **kwargs):
         # when a dataset is saved / created make sure the probe insertion is set in the reverse m2m
         super(Dataset, self).save(*args, **kwargs)
-        if self.collection is None:
+        if not self.collection:
             return
         self.clean_fields()  # Validate collection field
         from experiments.models import ProbeInsertion, FOV
diff --git a/alyx/data/serializers.py b/alyx/data/serializers.py
index c455611f..57f24c0d 100644
--- a/alyx/data/serializers.py
+++ b/alyx/data/serializers.py
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ class DatasetSerializer(serializers.HyperlinkedModelSerializer):
     hash = serializers.CharField(required=False, allow_null=True)
     version = serializers.CharField(required=False, allow_null=True)
     file_size = serializers.IntegerField(required=False, allow_null=True)
-    collection = serializers.CharField(required=False, allow_null=True)
+    collection = serializers.CharField(required=False, allow_blank=True, allow_null=True)
     default_dataset = serializers.BooleanField(required=False, allow_null=True)
     public = serializers.ReadOnlyField()
     protected = serializers.ReadOnlyField()
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ def get_experiment_number(self, obj):
     def create(self, validated_data):
         # Get out some useful info
         # revision = validated_data.get('revision', None)
-        collection = validated_data.get('collection', None)
+        collection = validated_data.get('collection', '')
         name = validated_data.get('name', None)
         default = validated_data.get('default_dataset', None)
         session = validated_data.get('session', None)
@@ -213,6 +213,13 @@ def create(self, validated_data):
 
         return super(DatasetSerializer, self).create(validated_data)
 
+    def to_representation(self, instance):
+        """Override the default to_representation method to null the revision field."""
+        representation = super().to_representation(instance)
+        if representation.get('revision') is None:
+            representation['revision'] = ''
+        return representation
+
     class Meta:
         model = Dataset
         fields = ('url', 'name', 'created_by', 'created_datetime',
diff --git a/alyx/data/tests.py b/alyx/data/tests.py
index 4c0c80aa..5f4cced0 100644
--- a/alyx/data/tests.py
+++ b/alyx/data/tests.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 from unittest import mock
-from pathlib import Path
+from pathlib import PurePosixPath
 from uuid import uuid4
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 
@@ -8,12 +8,15 @@
 from django.db import transaction
 from django.db.utils import IntegrityError
 from django.db.models import ProtectedError
+from rest_framework.response import Response
+from one.alf.path import add_uuid_string
 
 from data.management.commands import files
 from data.models import Dataset, DatasetType, Tag, Revision, DataRepository, FileRecord
 from subjects.models import Subject
 from actions.models import Session
 from misc.models import Lab
+from data import transfers
 from data.transfers import get_dataset_type
 
 
@@ -201,4 +204,105 @@ def _new_delete_client(self, _, gid, **kwargs):
 
     @staticmethod
     def _dataset_uuid_name(dataset):
-        return f'{Path(dataset.name).stem}.{dataset.pk}{Path(dataset.name).suffix}'
+        return add_uuid_string(dataset.name, dataset.pk).as_posix()
+
+
+class TestTransfers(TestCase):
+    """Tests for the data.transfers module."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Create some data repositories and file records to clean up."""
+        # Two of these are 'large' datasets that will be removed
+        dtypes = ['ephysData.raw.ap', 'imaging.frames', 'foo.bar.baz']
+        self.dtypes = [DatasetType.objects.create(name=name) for name in dtypes]
+        # Create two labs
+        self.labs = [Lab.objects.create(name=f'lab{i}') for i in range(2)]
+        # Create four repos
+        repo1 = DataRepository.objects.create(
+            name='lab0_local0', lab=self.labs[0], globus_is_personal=True,
+            globus_endpoint_id=uuid4(), globus_path='/mnt/foo/')
+        repo2 = DataRepository.objects.create(
+            name='lab0_local1', lab=self.labs[0], globus_is_personal=True,
+            globus_endpoint_id=uuid4(), globus_path='/mnt/foo/')
+        repo3 = DataRepository.objects.create(
+            name='lab1_local', lab=self.labs[1], globus_is_personal=True,
+            globus_endpoint_id=uuid4(), globus_path='/mnt/foo/')
+        # NB: name must contain 'flatiron'!
+        repo_main = DataRepository.objects.create(
+            name='flatiron', globus_is_personal=False,
+            globus_endpoint_id=uuid4(), globus_path='/mnt/foo/')
+        # Create one session per lab
+        self.subjects = [
+            Subject.objects.create(
+                nickname=f'subject{i}', lab=lab) for i, lab in enumerate(self.labs)]
+        sessions = [Session.objects.create(
+            subject=sub, number=1, lab=lab) for lab, sub in zip(self.labs, self.subjects)]
+        # Create datasets and file records
+        self.dset_names = ['ephysData.raw.ap.bin', 'imaging.frames.tar.bz2', 'foo.bar.baz']
+        self.dsets = []
+        for session in sessions:  # for one session in each lab, create one of each dataset
+            self.dsets.extend(
+                Dataset.objects.create(name=name, session=session,
+                                       dataset_type=next(x for x in self.dtypes if x.name in name))
+                for name in self.dset_names)
+
+        # Create file record on each lab's local server and main repo
+        session = 'subject/2020-01-01/001'
+        self.records = []  # All file records
+        for d in self.dsets:
+            for i, repo in enumerate((repo1, repo2, repo3, repo_main)):
+                if repo.globus_is_personal is False:
+                    rel_path = f'{session}/{TestManagementFiles._dataset_uuid_name(d)}'
+                    if i == 0:
+                        rel_path = 'Data2/' + rel_path
+                    if i == 1:
+                        rel_path = '/' + rel_path
+                elif repo.lab != d.session.lab:
+                    continue  # Don't create file record for dataset if session lab different
+                else:
+                    rel_path = f'{session}/{d.name}'
+                self.records.append(
+                    FileRecord.objects.create(
+                        relative_path=rel_path, exists=True, dataset=d, data_repository=repo)
+                )
+
+    def test_get_absolute_path(self):
+        expected = '/mnt/foo/subject/2020-01-01/001/ephysData.raw.ap.bin'
+        self.assertEqual(expected, transfers._get_absolute_path(self.records[0]))
+        expected = '/mnt/foo/subject/2020-01-01/001/ephysData.raw.ap.bin'
+        self.assertEqual(expected, transfers._get_absolute_path(self.records[1]))
+
+    def test_get_name_collection_revision(self):
+        relative_path = PurePosixPath(self.records[0].relative_path)
+        info, resp = transfers._get_name_collection_revision(
+            relative_path.name, relative_path.parent.as_posix())
+        self.assertIsNone(resp)
+        expected = {
+            'lab': '', 'subject': 'subject', 'date': '2020-01-01', 'number': '001',
+            'collection': '', 'revision': '', 'filename': 'ephysData.raw.ap.bin',
+            'full_path': 'subject/2020-01-01/001/ephysData.raw.ap.bin',
+            'rel_dir_path': 'subject/2020-01-01/001'}
+        self.assertDictEqual(info, expected)
+        relative_path = relative_path.parent / 'alf' / '#2020-10-01#' / relative_path.name
+        expected.update(
+            {'collection': 'alf', 'revision': '2020-10-01',
+             'full_path': relative_path.as_posix()}
+        )
+        info, resp = transfers._get_name_collection_revision(
+            relative_path.name, relative_path.parent.as_posix())
+        self.assertIsNone(resp)
+        self.assertDictEqual(info, expected)
+
+        relative_path = relative_path.parent / 'invalid' / relative_path.name
+        info, resp = transfers._get_name_collection_revision(
+            relative_path.name, relative_path.parent.as_posix())
+        self.assertIsNone(info)
+        self.assertIsInstance(resp, Response)
+        self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 400)
+        self.assertIn('Invalid ALF path', resp.data['detail'])
+        info, resp = transfers._get_name_collection_revision(
+            relative_path.name, 'subject/1-1-03/1/@lf')
+        self.assertIsNone(info)
+        self.assertIsInstance(resp, Response)
+        self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 400)
+        self.assertIn('Invalid ALF path', resp.data['detail'])
diff --git a/alyx/data/tests_rest.py b/alyx/data/tests_rest.py
index 43e3a558..c7e8d2c0 100644
--- a/alyx/data/tests_rest.py
+++ b/alyx/data/tests_rest.py
@@ -142,8 +142,8 @@ def test_dataset(self):
         r = self.post(reverse('dataset-list'), data)
         self.ar(r, 201)
         # Check collection and revision have been set to default values
-        self.assertEqual(r.data['revision'], None)
-        self.assertEqual(r.data['collection'], None)
+        self.assertEqual(r.data['revision'], '')
+        self.assertEqual(r.data['collection'], '')
         # Check that it has been set as the default dataset
         self.assertEqual(r.data['default_dataset'], True)
         # Check QC value is NOT_SET by default
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ def test_dataset(self):
 
         r = self.post(reverse('dataset-list'), data)
         self.ar(r, 201)
-        self.assertEqual(r.data['revision'], None)
+        self.assertEqual(r.data['revision'], '')
         self.assertEqual(r.data['collection'], data['collection'])
         self.assertEqual(r.data['default_dataset'], True)
         self.assertEqual(r.data['qc'], 'PASS')
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ def test_dataset(self):
         self.assertEqual(r['default_dataset'], False)
 
         # Make sure if you specify the default dataset flag to false it is indeed false
-        data['collection'] = None
+        data['collection'] = ''
         data['default_dataset'] = False
         r = self.post(reverse('dataset-list'), data)
         self.ar(r, 201)
diff --git a/alyx/jobs/admin.py b/alyx/jobs/admin.py
index f60f02e7..7c2dad0b 100644
--- a/alyx/jobs/admin.py
+++ b/alyx/jobs/admin.py
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
     DropdownFilter, ChoiceDropdownFilter, RelatedDropdownFilter)
 
 from jobs.models import Task
-from misc.models import Lab
 from alyx.base import BaseAdmin, get_admin_url