If you’re in DAM or information science, you already know that having a database without metadata is akin to throwing a bunch of papers in a bin and then looking for a specific item. Maybe you’ll be able to find something eventually, but not without significant effort.
So you did it – With the help of your users, you either created or bought a set of controlled vocabulary terms for your database and you’re feeling ready to go. But not so fast! While you may be excited to implement your system, don’t forget that you need to document and define all of your metadata terms. Having metadata standards in a data glossary or guidebook can be instrumental in the success of your project.
Here are four reasons why you should take the time to carefully and thoroughly develop your metadata standards before you implement your system.
- Data Standards Promote Consistent and Accurate Application Of Metadata
Different dates, words, and objects mean different things to different people. Give two people on opposite ends of the earth (sometimes opposite ends of the office) the same asset or data point and they are likely to tag it in very different ways. Over time, if nuances are not addressed, mistakes can add up and ruin the coherence of your collection.
By creating a set guidebook where controlled vocabulary terms are explicitly defined, practitioners can help ensure that all administrative users share a common understanding of them and will apply each term in the same way. The more specific and granular the guidebook is, the more consistent and accurate your metadata application can be.
- Which Leads To Greater User Acceptance & Easier Training
With the accurate and consistent application of metadata, also comes a system that is coherent, logical, and subsequently, usable. As a result, users are more likely to understand the system and ultimately accept it. An organization’s investment in the system can begin to reach its return and they will begin to reap its benefits.
Depending on the size of your project and the degree of accuracy and consistency that is needed, having a data glossary can also help with training. These data glossaries and metadata standards can be used to cross-evaluate the consistency and accuracy of each training session across the syndicate. Then, after initial training is complete, practitioners can make the data glossary available to users and subsequently help them empower themselves to find their own assets.
- Metadata Documentation Also Leads To Preservation Of Standards
In addition to promoting consistency across a system and among users, documenting metadata terms can help practitioners ensure that their schemas will stay consistent over time. If the database administrator were to leave or take on a new responsibility, carefully documented, granular explanations of each metadata standard subsequently protect the integrity of the system through the transition.
- And Reduces Corporate Liability
Perhaps most importantly, by defining your metadata standards and creating a data glossary, organizations can improve the accuracy of their assets, thereby helping the organization keep consistent with industry standards and thoroughly comply with any/all regulated elements of the business.
While reducing liability and ensuring consistency is most relevant in heavily governed industries such as law, finance, or medicine, it can also be equally important in creative industries. When DAM systems or databases are launched without metadata standards, it becomes very easy to lose track of copyright information or status around royalties. Before you know it, information about assets becomes lost downstream and users could end up improperly sharing an asset.
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So next time you’re implementing a new DAM system, make sure you include your data standards. While time consuming, creating the standards has a multitude of benefits and can only help the success of your project.
