The Metadata Value Proposition

It was great to see so many familiar faces at the Henry Stewart DAM show in NYC! Over the last three years there has been a dramatic increase in interest about metadata. A commonly heard phrase at the conference was "It's all about the metadata". This phrase rings true but what does it mean in terms of cost versus value?

Many companies purchase their CMS or DAM system with the expectation that the software expenditure will translate into new revenue streams or cost savings. While content management software is the first step, it cannot produce any financial benefit unless the digital assets being managed can be leveraged to benefit the business objectives. The first step in leveraging a digital asset is ensuring that the asset has been "described" in a way that supports the business model. Metadata schema's define the specific data fields that describe the asset. A logical question is "How do I know which fields to include in the metadata schema?" Answer: The metadata fields are identified through use case analysis with the people responsible for implementing the various business functions and processes. Use case analysis is the key to success when designing the enterprise metadata model.