Working with assets that are stored in the Production Zone folder of Elvis 6

Elvis 6 can be tightly integrated with Enterprise Server 10 to use Elvis as a storage location for files that are used in the Enterprise workflow.

Part of this integration is defining how files are stored that are added from Elvis to Enterprise or from Enterprise to Elvis. (See Controlling how files are stored in the Elvis 6 - Enterprise 10 integration.)

One of the methods is to store the original file in a dedicated folder in Elvis named the 'Production Zone' and to work with a representation of that file in Enterprise (a so-called 'Production shadow object').

This Production Zone folder should be seen as a storage location for the system and not as a resource folder from which end users can take content to use in their publications; end users are expected to only work with the Production shadow objects.

Note: Data admin or system admin users should have access to the files in the Production Zone so that they can properly manage the system.

Important: The process of moving, renaming, deleting, and editing assets in the Production Zone folder can easily corrupt the Enterprise - Elvis integration. Avoid this by restriction standard users from performing such actions on those assets. As mentioned above, system administrators should be able to perform such actions in case broken image links need to be repaired, check-out states need to be undo, and so on.

Moving an asset from the Production Zone folder

Because of the special status in Enterprise of the assets in the Production Zone folder, moving an asset from that folder to Enterprise will not by default create a copy of the file. Instead, Enterprise recognizes that the asset already exists as a shadow object and will simply make that same shadow object available once more.

Note the difference in the above example: 

• In step 1 a copy of the asset is created. As a user, you can be sure therefore that when editing the file the original asset is not affected.
• In step 2, no copy is created. Editing the file in Dossier B also affects the file in Dossier A because they are the same file.

So even though an asset is moved from Elvis to Enterprise in the same way, the outcome is not the same because for one method the asset was moved from the Production Zone folder.

Note: This scenario can easily happen in any workflow. Think for example of an image that is first moved from Elvis to Enterprise for use in an article and then moved once more (but this time from the Production Zone folder) to be used on the cover. The image for the cover is typically modified, but this also affects the image that is used in the story (because they are the same image).

Alternative working methods

To make sure that you are working with a unique asset and not with an asset that is also used elsewhere, use one of the following methods:

• Never move assets that are stored in the Production Zone folder to Enterprise. Instead, locate the original asset in Elvis and move it once more to Enterprise. This way, a new copy of the file is added to the Production Zone folder in Elvis and in Enterprise a new shadow object is created.
• For images only (requires Enterprise Server 10.1.3 or higher): Configure Enterprise Server to make sure that each time an image is moved from the Production Zone folder to Enterprise, a copy is created in the Production Zone folder in Elvis and a new shadow object is created in Enterprise. For information about how to do this, see Controlling how files are stored in the Elvis 6 - Enterprise 10 integration.