a helper method for other storage clients to import into appdata
            
        :param record_key: string with key for record
        :param record_data: byte data for body of record
        :param overwrite: [optional] boolean to overwrite existing records
        :param last_modified: [optional] float to record last modified date
        :param kwargs: [optional] keyword arguments from other import methods 
        :return: boolean indicating whether record was imported

def _import(self, record_key, record_data, overwrite=True, last_modified=0.0, **kwargs):
        
        '''
            a helper method for other storage clients to import into appdata
            
        :param record_key: string with key for record
        :param record_data: byte data for body of record
        :param overwrite: [optional] boolean to overwrite existing records
        :param last_modified: [optional] float to record last modified date
        :param kwargs: [optional] keyword arguments from other import methods 
        :return: boolean indicating whether record was imported
        '''
        
    # construct and validate file path
        file_path = os.path.join(self.collection_folder, record_key)

    # check overwrite exception
        from os import path, makedirs
        if not overwrite:
            if path.exists(file_path):
                return False

    # create directories in path to file
        file_root, file_name = path.split(file_path)
        if file_root:
            if not path.exists(file_root):
                makedirs(file_root)
                
    # save file
        with open(file_path, 'wb') as f:
            f.write(record_data)
            f.close()
    
    # erase file date from drep files
        import re
        if re.search('\\.drep$', file_name):
            from os import utime
            file_time = 1
            utime(file_path, times=(file_time, file_time))
        elif last_modified:
            from os import utime
            utime(file_path, times=(last_modified, last_modified))
        
        return True