Metadata in the FotoWare system
Metadata, as the name suggests, is "data about data". All files have some metadata associated with them. This article explains the different types of metadata that can be used to store and retrieve files in a Fotoware system.
Why is metadata needed?
Metadata is used to describe the files that are stored in your Digital Asset Management system. When a file is stored on a server, quite a bit of metadata is added to the file automatically by the system. However, to make the files become true assets that have value to users looking to find those documents, descriptive metadata becomes more important. Descriptive metadata can include a description, keywords, and any custom information that it makes sense to add to the asset that users will find helpful to search for at one time or another. Adding this type of information makes the assets more accessible to users. They also become easier to manage, group, and maintain since you can start grouping assets with similar metadata and control how those collections are presented to users. Be advised, though, that the more metadata you start adding to assets in your system, the more important it becomes to manage your metadata.