Working with DAM

Online Media Net (OMN) manages all digital assets, including images, graphics, videos, audio files, layout files and much more. In simple terms, assets are media files or data. These digital resources represent a significant corporate asset and should therefore be centrally managed and easily accessible.
For all assets whose file formats are supported by OMN, previews are automatically generated and visible in the browser when the file is imported or updated.
In principle, OMN can also manage and provide data for which no preview can be calculated.
See also Supported file formats.

When an asset is imported into OMN, a data record is created in the OMN database. In the OMN web client, each asset is always displayed as such a data record.
A data record contains not only the reference to the asset, but also additional information about the asset. This information is either read from the file during import, e.g. file size, file type, storage location and creation date, or it is entered manually in OMN or generated using AI.
In OMN, custom record fields can be configured as needed to capture almost any type of information. These are called tagging fields or metadata fields.
For more information, see the Metadata chapter.

Metadata is descriptive information that represents the context, structure and details of digital assets in the DAM system. It forms the basis for effective organization, searchability and retrievability of digital assets.
In the DAM environment, metadata usually refers to the properties of an asset, such as the title, keywords, descriptions, creation date, file type, author and usage rights.
The term “metadata” is made up of the Greek word “meta”, which means “about”, and “data”. Metadata describes other data and provides it with the necessary context.
In the context of DAM, metadata is the information that describes an asset and facilitates its identification, search and reuse. A dataset can generally be seen as a collection of metadata.
Metadata is specific to digital assets and enables efficient management and search within a DAM system.

Keywords - also known as categories - can be used to categorize and organize assets that are physically stored in a specific location in the file system. Assets can be assigned to multiple categories by referencing them without having to duplicate the file.
See also Keyword structure (virtual structure).

Shopping carts - also known as collections - are collections of digital assets in OMN that can be organized by users like a clipboard. Baskets help to group and manage digital assets. They enable efficient organization and quick access to related content. Assets can be added to or removed from shopping carts without having to move or delete the physical data.
Further explanations can be found in the Shopping Cart Download chapter.

OMN has an internal object model for assets that distinguishes between different asset types and classifies the supported file formats into these.

Shortcuts can be used in OMN, especially in the DAM module. An overview of the supported shortcuts and the link to the documentation can be found in the sidebar menu under Help. Comprehensive help can also be found in the FAQ section of the OMN software documentation at FAQ & Help

The file system structure shows a physical image of the folders created on the file system and the files they contain.

Using the web interface, you can create, rename, move and delete folders on the file system and organize files within these folders, for example by drag and drop or cut and paste.

Actions such as moving, copying or deleting folders or files via the web interface always have a direct impact on the underlying file system.
When files are imported into Online Media Net via the web client, they are physically saved on the file system - see section Upload/ Data provision.

In addition to the physical folder structure, you will also find a virtual keyword structure in OMN to further categorize your files.
The keyword structure is set up in a single to multi-level hierarchy, which can be organized via the web interface.
Previously selected files can either be assigned directly to a keyword using drag and drop, e.g. from the search or file system navigation. Alternatively, the keyword can be selected via the “Keywords & Tagging” tab in the right view.

Keyword strings can be created and deleted via the web interface. Existing links can also be removed or keywords edited.

To upload data to OMN via the web client and make it available there, the following procedure is recommended:

In general, further toolbar functions are available in the upload window:

After a successful upload, the entries are marked with a green OK icon and removed from the overview after some time.
In addition to the successful upload, there are other status messages that you can find on the following page: Upload Canvas.
You can now close the upload window by clicking on the “X” if you have not selected the “Close dialog automatically after successful upload” checkbox.

You can use the “Download” function to download selected files in their original format.
First select the desired files and then click on the “Download” option in the "Up/Downloads" menu of the toolbar.

The shopping cart download is a practical function in the DAM that allows users to download several files at once.
The desired files are first collected in a virtual shopping cart before they can be downloaded in one step.
This function facilitates the efficient retrieval of content, especially when large quantities of files are required.

You can use the editor Annotation Tool to annotate and comment on catalog and document pages or other files (e.g. images).

You can use the editor Aperture Tool to define image sections.

In the details panel of the editor Asset details & history (Asset view editor), you can view information about the selected asset and any changes that have been made.

The CI HUB Editor is another asset view specifically for the CI HUB context.
In the detail panel CI HUB you can view CI HUB information about the selected asset.
CI HUB facilitates the use of assets stored in OMN from desktop applications.

You can use the Read QR Code function to check the content of QR codes directly.
As the QR codes can be read within the OMN, no external reader is required.

See also: QRCode View

With the Image Editor you can edit your image in various ways.
Among other things, you can crop images, replace backgrounds (if the image was previously cropped), adjust or scale the image size, …​

This area shows the most important general properties that are read from the file during import or update, e.g. size, format, creation date.
Depending on the file type, additional extended properties are displayed.
This area also contains the link area, which shows relationships to other data, e.g. products in the PIM.

Metadata that is saved directly in the original file as so-called XMP data is saved in this area.
OMN supports common standards, such as IPTC and EXIF, and is organized into the following areas:

This area contains a set of user-defined fields that are predefined by Accelerator but can be changed by configuration.
This is primarily descriptive information that says something about the content of the file, e.g. article number, view, …​

This data area is used to tag files. The area is divided into areas that can be filled by different AI services, as well as keywords.
See also Keyword structure (virtual structure).

The license management of the file can be stored in this area.
The entries are for viewing and searching purposes only and do not control any automatism.

The apertures or annotations created are displayed in this area.

This area displays information on the date of creation or modification of the file, upload and download, checkout, blocking information and visibility.
These entries are also only for viewing and searchability and do not control any automatism.