---
title: "Metadata configuration"
date: "2026-03-24T08:13:39+00:00"
summary: "Optimize your content's visibility with our easy-to-use metadata configuration tools. Boost SEO and improve search rankings."
image:
type: "page"
url: "/acquia-dam/metadata-configuration"
id: "994941cd-c6a2-45ea-b66b-b937c16b152e"
---

Use metadata configuration to control which Acquia DAM metadata fields are available in Drupal and how they map to fields on your DAM-backed media types. This lets you display key metadata such as keywords, descriptions, usage rights, product codes, and other custom fields directly in Drupal. 

Selecting metadata fields
-------------------------

First, select which metadata fields from Acquia DAM you want to make available to Drupal. These fields are then mapped to your Drupal media types that use Acquia DAM for integration.

To select metadata fields:

1.  In Drupal, go to the Acquia DAM configuration page: `/admin/config/acquia-dam`
2.  On the Configuration page, select the **Metadata**.
3.  In the **Name of metadata field in DAM** list, select the checkboxes for the fields that you want to map from Acquia DAM to the Drupal fields, such as:
    *   Keywords
    *   Description
    *   Usage Rights
    *   Custom fields your organization uses
4.  Select **Save configuration**.
    
    ![Acquia-dam_metadata-handling](https://acquia.widen.net/content/6dee8910-0856-4035-afc5-f48d705e23af/web/191e3_acquia-dam-metadata-handling.png)
    

These selected fields are available for mapping on your DAM‑backed media types.

Note

[Dependent metadata fields](https://docs.acquia.com/acquia-dam/what-are-dependent-metadata-fields) in Acquia DAM cannot be mapped to Drupal.

Mapping metadata fields to media types
--------------------------------------

After you select which DAM metadata fields are available, map them to specific fields on the Drupal media types that use the Acquia DAM media source.

To map fields:

### Step 1: Open the media type

1.  In the administrative menu, go to **Structure > Media types** such as `/admin/structure/media`
2.  For each media type that sources assets from Acquia DAM, such as Acquia DAM: Image, Acquia DAM: Video, select **Edit**.

### Step 2: Review available metadata fields

1.  On the media type edit page, locate the **Map Fields** section.
2.  In **Map Fields**, you see the list of DAM metadata fields you selected on the **Metadata** tab of the Acquia DAM configuration page.
    
    *   By default, only the **File name** and **Expiration date** are available for mapping until you configure more fields. For images, an alt text field is available.
    *   Each DAM field has an empty Drupal mapped field selector until you create fields in Drupal to hold that data.
    
    ![Acquia-DAM_metadata-field-map](https://acquia.widen.net/content/34ba86d2-f77c-441e-908c-4979f900be91/web/07b74_Acquia-DAM-metadata-field-map.png?h=480&itok=DzNFC8Ms)
    

### Step 3: Create fields in Drupal (if needed)

To map DAM metadata to Drupal, you must have corresponding fields on the media type.

1.  Select the **Manage fields** for the media type.
2.  Select **\+ Create a new field**.
3.  Select **Add field** to create a new field or reuse an existing field for each DAM metadata value you want to store. For examples:
    *   A plain text field for a short title.
    *   A long text field for a description.
    *   A list or taxonomy reference for categories or tags.
4.  In the **Label** field, enter a clear name for the metadata field and select **Continue**.
5.  On the next page, configure the basic field settings as required, such as the allowed number of values.
6.  Configure the field settings as required and select **Save**.
7.  Repeat these steps for each Drupal field you need for DAM metadata.

### Step 4: Map DAM fields to Drupal fields

1.  After you create the necessary fields, return to the **Edit** tab for the media type.
2.  In the **Map Fields** section:
    *   For each DAM metadata field, select the corresponding Drupal mapped field from the dropdown.
3.  Select **Save** to store the mapping.

Once saved, DAM metadata are populated into the mapped Drupal fields when assets are synchronized or imported from Acquia DAM.

Verifying metadata mappings
---------------------------

To confirm that metadata mapping is working as expected:

1.  In Drupal, go to **Content > Media > DAM media**.
2.  Locate an asset that has been synchronized from Acquia DAM and select **Edit**.
3.  Verify that:
    *   The mapped Drupal fields display the expected DAM metadata values.
    *   Updates to metadata in Acquia DAM are reflected in Drupal after synchronization or queue processing.

If metadata does not appear:

*   Confirm that the DAM field is selected on the Metadata tab at `/admin/config/acquia-dam`.
*   Confirm that a Drupal field exists on the media type and is mapped correctly in Map Fields.
*   Ensure that the asset has those metadata values populated in Acquia DAM.