Every asset in your Acquia DAM is assigned one metadata type during the upload process. The metadata type determines the combination of metadata fields available. Metadata fields and dependent metadata fields assist users in searching for assets in your site.

You can create metadata fields, editing existing fields, and choose to have fields display in the refine search so users with permission for an asset group can quickly find what they're looking for. Metadata fields can also be required, meaning certain users can't view those assets until the required fields are completed.

Access to view and edit metadata is based on permissions. Enable the Edit Assets' Metadata, Type and Preview for the asset group for users to view and edit metadata, metadata types, and previews.

Create metadata fields

Metadata types are created before metadata fields. To create metadata fields:

1. Go to the Admin app.
2. Click Metadata types under Search Settings in the left navigation.
3. Click Edit Fields for the metadata type.
4. Click Create field to add a metadata field that doesn't currently exist. To select an existing field, click the Add Existing Field dropdown and choose a field.
5. Name the metadata field and avoid using certain characters that can cause errors. Then select a field type.
6. Click Create.

After you have created a metadata field, you will see additional settings to configure for the field. Configure permissions for editing or for how users can see the field when searching. Fields are permissioned based on a user's role, not on the metadata type.

Configure field settings

1. Click View and determine the users who can see the metadata field. Options include No, which means no one will see it; Yes, which means everyone will see it; or Permissioned, which allows you to select the roles that can see it.

2. Click Edit and determine the users who can edit the field. 

   Note

   If Edit is set to No, API integrations cannot make metadata changes to this field. If set to Permissioned, an API integration can make metadata edits only if the API token associated with the integration is tied to a user in a role with permission to edit.

    

3. Click Required and determine if the field is required.

4. Click Quick Search and determine if the field will be searched when you use the quick search.  

If your site has dependent fields for dropdowns, click Edit to create list values that display as dependencies.

Edit metadata fields

If there has been a change to your metadata, the fields can be edited. To edit metadata fields:

1. Go to the Admin app.
2. Click Metadata types under Search Settings in the left navigation.
3. Click Edit Fields for a metadata type, then make any updates needed. The display name, adding or deleting values to controlled vocabulary fields, requiring a field be completed, adding to the sort option and setting as refined filters, if appropriate, can all be updated.
4. Click Save.

Reorder how metadata fields display

To see all of your available metadata fields easily, you can reorganize the order in which they are displayed by dragging and dropping the gray bar with the field name into the preferred order. Original metadata fields you've selected as dependent fields can also be reordered by dragging and dropping so they appear after the parent fields.

Note that this reordering only affects the Asset Details and Batch Edit pages. Other places where metadata fields are listed, such as the Refine Search area, may not reflect this order.

How do I create, edit, or remove metadata fields?

Every asset in your Acquia DAM is assigned one metadata type during the upload process. The metadata type determines the combination of metadata fields available. Metadata fields and dependent metadata fields assist users in searching for assets in your site.

You can create metadata fields, editing existing fields, and choose to have fields display in the refine search so users with permission for an asset group can quickly find what they're looking for. Metadata fields can also be required, meaning certain users can't view those assets until the required fields are completed.

Access to view and edit metadata is based on permissions. Enable the Edit Assets' Metadata, Type and Preview for the asset group for users to view and edit metadata, metadata types, and previews.

Create metadata fields

Metadata types are created before metadata fields. To create metadata fields:

1. Go to the Admin app.
2. Click Metadata types under Search Settings in the left navigation.
3. Click Edit Fields for the metadata type.
4. Click Create field to add a metadata field that doesn't currently exist. To select an existing field, click the Add Existing Field dropdown and choose a field.
5. Name the metadata field and avoid using certain characters that can cause errors. Then select a field type.
6. Click Create.

After you have created a metadata field, you will see additional settings to configure for the field. Configure permissions for editing or for how users can see the field when searching. Fields are permissioned based on a user's role, not on the metadata type.

Configure field settings

 

Note

Field settings also apply to API usage in some cases. The steps that follow note which settings affect API behavior.

 

1. Click View and determine the users who can see the metadata field. Options include No, which means no one will see it; Yes, which means everyone will see it; or Permissioned, which allows you to select the roles that can see it.

2. Click Edit and determine the users who can edit the field. 

   Note

   If Edit is set to No, API integrations cannot make metadata changes to this field. If set to Permissioned, an API integration can make metadata edits only if the API token associated with the integration is tied to a user in a role with permission to edit.

    

3. Click Required and determine if the field is required.

4. Click Quick Search and determine if the field will be searched when you use the quick search.  

If your site has dependent fields for dropdowns, click Edit to create list values that display as dependencies.

Edit metadata fields

If there has been a change to your metadata, the fields can be edited. To edit metadata fields:

1. Go to the Admin app.
2. Click Metadata types under Search Settings in the left navigation.
3. Click Edit Fields for a metadata type, then make any updates needed. The display name, adding or deleting values to controlled vocabulary fields, requiring a field be completed, adding to the sort option and setting as refined filters, if appropriate, can all be updated.
4. Click Save.

Reorder how metadata fields display

To see all of your available metadata fields easily, you can reorganize the order in which they are displayed by dragging and dropping the gray bar with the field name into the preferred order. Original metadata fields you've selected as dependent fields can also be reordered by dragging and dropping so they appear after the parent fields.

Note that this reordering only affects the Asset Details and Batch Edit pages. Other places where metadata fields are listed, such as the Refine Search area, may not reflect this order.

Remove metadata fields from metadata type

If a metadata field is no longer needed in a metadata type, you can remove it.
To remove a metadata field from a metadata type: 

1. Go to the Admin app.
2. Click Metadata types under Search Settings in the left navigation.
3. Click Edit Fields for a metadata type.
4. Find and expand the correct metadata field in the list – in the example below, Display Name.
5. Select Remove.
6. If you want the field removed from multiple metadata types, review the other types and remove the field.  

Delete metadata fields

DAM admin accounts are responsible for preparing metadata fields for deletion. However, DAM Customer Support handles the final deletion step. Consider exporting a list of assets that currently have values for the field for record-keeping before preparing the field for deletion.

Complete these steps before submitting your request to the support team:

1. Ensure the metadata field is no longer in use in metadata importer field mappings. To do this, access the Admin app. Select Auto-import mappings under Search Settings in the left navigation.
2. Remove or separate any dependent fields from the metadata field to be deleted. To do this, follow the Edit metadata fields steps described earlier.
3. Remove the metadata field from all metadata types. To do this, follow the Remove metadata fields from metadata types steps described earlier.
4. Ensure that you do not remove the Original Filepath field. This field must remain on the site. If you do not want your users to access it, you can change the field permissions so that only administrator accounts can access it.
5. Contact DAM Customer Support with the exact name of the metadata field you want deleted. Note that this action is permanent, and the field cannot be recovered once deleted.

Required metadata fields

View assets with empty required metadata

With permission, users can see assets with empty required metadata. You can enable the Access Assets with Empty Required Metadata permission for users to see assets that have metadata fields that aren't completed even if assets have been released.

As an admin, you can see assets with empty required metadata through an admin task alert in your user profile or in the Asset-Related Tasks queue on the Admin dashboard. In the alert, click Assets w/ Empty Required Fields. On the Admin dashboard, click the Assets With Empty Required Metadata queue. Click View for the corresponding asset group to see assets without required metadata, then click an asset's thumbnail to complete the required metadata.

Remove metadata fields from metadata type

If a metadata field is no longer needed in a metadata type, you can remove it.
To remove a metadata field from a metadata type: 

1. Go to the Admin app.
2. Click Metadata types under Search Settings in the left navigation.
3. Click Edit Fields for a metadata type.
4. Find and expand the correct metadata field in the list – in the example below, Display Name.
5. Select Remove.
6. If you want the field removed from multiple metadata types, review the other types and remove the field.  

Delete metadata fields

DAM admin accounts are responsible for preparing metadata fields for deletion. However, DAM Customer Support handles the final deletion step. Consider exporting a list of assets that currently have values for the field for record-keeping before preparing the field for deletion.

Complete these steps before submitting your request to the support team:

1. Ensure the metadata field is no longer in use in metadata importer field mappings. To do this, access the Admin app. Select Auto-import mappings under Search Settings in the left navigation.
2. Remove or separate any dependent fields from the metadata field to be deleted. To do this, follow the Edit metadata fields steps described earlier.
3. Remove the metadata field from all metadata types. To do this, follow the Remove metadata fields from metadata types steps described earlier.
4. Ensure that you do not remove the Original Filepath field. This field must remain on the site. If you do not want your users to access it, you can change the field permissions so that only administrator accounts can access it.
5. Contact DAM Customer Support with the exact name of the metadata field you want deleted. Note that this action is permanent, and the field cannot be recovered once deleted.

Required metadata fields

View assets with empty required metadata

With permission, users can see assets with empty required metadata. You can enable the Access Assets with Empty Required Metadata permission for users to see assets that have metadata fields that aren't completed even if assets have been released.

As an admin, you can see assets with empty required metadata through an admin task alert in your user profile or in the Asset-Related Tasks queue on the Admin dashboard. In the alert, click Assets w/ Empty Required Fields. On the Admin dashboard, click the Assets With Empty Required Metadata queue. Click View for the corresponding asset group to see assets without required metadata, then click an asset's thumbnail to complete the required metadata.