Working with embedded metadata in Assets Server

When files are imported into Assets Server, their metadata is extracted and added to the search index.

However, the metadata in the files can be stored according to various industry standards.

Example: One standard stores tags in the 'Keywords' field while another standard stores tags in the 'Subject' field.

It is important therefore that these standards are correctly interpreted by Assets Server. Assets Server therefore supports all major metadata standards:

• XMP - www.adobe.com/products/xmp - The Extensible Metadata Platform is an industry standard for embedding metadata. It supports embedding all of the standards mentioned below.
• IPTC - www.iptc.org - The IPTC Core provides a set of basic metadata to describe and manage images.
• Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) - www.dublincore.org - "Core metadata" for simple and generic resource descriptions.
• EXIF - www.exif.org - A standard for storing interchange information in image files, especially those using JPEG compression.
• PLUS - www.useplus.com - The PLUS standards provide a universal image licensing language, defining and codifying the structure and elements of image licenses.
• PRISM - www.prismstandard.org - An XML metadata vocabulary for managing, aggregating, and processing magazine, news, catalog, book, and mainstream journal content.

Extracting data from similar fields

Not all metadata standards use the same fields for what is essentially the same type of information.

During import, Assets Server extracts metadata from fields containing similar data and puts it into a generic Assets Server metadata field.

Embedding data to their original fields

When exporting an asset from Assets Server (for example by downloading the original file) the metadata that was moved to a generic Assets Server field is placed back to the original metadata field, including any metadata that has been added when the file was edited in Assets Server.

Looking up the source fields

To see which external metadata fields Assets Server uses as a source, refer to the Assets Server - Asset info report.

Note: You need admin rights to access this report. If you do not have these, see Metadata field information for Assets Server for a full list of the default fields.

To access this report, do one of the following:

• Enter the following URL in a Web browser:

<Assets Server URL:>/plugins/internal/assetinfo_report/index.html

• In the Management Console, choose Field info.

The Asset info report shows all metadata fields that are currently available in Assets Server, including custom metadata fields.

The 'fileFields' section is shown when the values are derived from a different metadata field in the source file, according to the structure in which the metadata is stored in that file.

Embedded metadata specific to Assets Server

Certain metadata is automatically embedded in the asset by Assets Server, such as the ElvisID field which identifies the asset within Assets Server.

Embedded metadata versus indexed metadata

All metadata for an asset exists in the Assets Server index so that it can be searched on, but not all metadata is also embedded in the asset itself.

Take for example the 'Status' field in Assets Server: it is specific to Assets Server and used for tracking the asset through a workflow, but it is typically not used outside of Assets Server. Embedding this field in the asset is therefore not required.

For each metadata field it is possible to configure whether or not the field should be embedded.

Note: Embedding metadata in an asset can negatively affect the performance of the system when many assets need to be processed.