Understanding Your Metadata Schema
The sections below will help explain some of the key topics you need to understand when designing or reviewing your system's metadata schema. If you need any help, do reach out to your Project Manager, Account Manager or Customer Success rep.
Introduction
Your Metadata Schema is the way you structure the information attached to your media in the Imagen Pro platform. Your schema defines the number of different fields, their type and settings which you use to tag media by, and is typically configured and managed by the Imagen Services team throughout your contract period.
When desiging your schema, you should assign a field for each group of identifiers linked to your media, a bit like when you add a contact to your phone, and have options like First Name, Last Name, Number, Address, Notes, etc. - these are your fields.
When it comes to Media Management, you may already have a metadata schema in an existing system, or a folder structure which mirrors these identifiers, such as Title, Year, Event, Production ID, Format, Keywords, Categories, etc.
There's no limit to the number of fields you can have in your Imagen system, and you may also have multiple fields of the same type (e.g. a 'Date' field for a 'Production Date' and another 'Date' field to specify an 'Emargo Date' with separate values linked to the same media). Read the Field Types & Options section next to find out more.
Field Types
Every field in your schema can be of a different type, to better structure your metadata (the information held in fields).
Field Types will help will allow you to consistently hold the information, to avoid confusions (e.g. with UK / US date conventions), spelling mistakes, and alternative spellings, as users can be presented with pre-determined values and option pickers. The types of field avilable in Imagen Pro are:
Free-type TextYou can enter any information you wish here.
Comma Separated Value (CSV)You can enter multiple values, separated by commas (,) which will be identified separately.
DateChoose a date from a calendar, this can be a past of future date.
TimeChoose a time from a clock dropdown.
DateTimeChoose a date and time from a calendar, this can be a past of future date.
NumberYou can type in any numerical value.
Keyword Multi-select Choose multiple values from a set list of pre-determined values tied to this field.
Keyword Single-select Choose a single value from a set list of pre-determined values tied to this field.
GUIDYou may only enter a value which doesn't already exist in your database.
RatingEnter a numerical bvalue from 1-5 to have a star rating display this value whilst searching.
You must decide a field type for every field you wish to have on your system.