Digital Assets: Concepts (Classic)
Aprimo provides a searchable repository from which users can create, download, and maintain digital assets. A digital asset is electronic collateral created or purchased for use in your marketing efforts.
- Print advertisements
- Logos
- Brochures
- Banner ads
- PowerPoint presentations
- Digital videos
- Audio files
You can use the digital asset modules to perform these actions:
- Keep a record of how each asset is revised over time.
- Store multiple renditions of an asset in a single record.
- Set an expiration date for an asset, so the digital asset cannot be used after a specified date. For example, expiration is helpful when a licensed asset has usage rights that expire.
- Send an email notification with a link to the Digital Asset Info page of an asset. For example, you send a link to a white paper referenced at a meeting to all attendees so they can easily access the asset.
- Check out a digital asset, preventing its use by other users until you check it in.
- Lock a digital asset when work on it is completed to prevent further changes.
- Review and annotate the different versions of an asset.
- Designate an asset as a reference document for annotating other assets, and create tags as reference points in the document.
- Relate similar digital assets to each other.
- Track searches, and the corresponding views or downloads, of digital assets by Digital Assets Portal users.
- Automate print requests for selected digital assets.
Display Options
The Manage Digital Assets module provides 3 views to locate digital assets:
- List View
Displays digital assets in a standard list. Use this view to access a digital asset when you can recognize the asset by its attributes, such as its title. - Folder View
Displays digital assets in a predefined folder structure. Assets appear in the folders to which they have been linked. In a folder, this view displays each asset's thumbnail. - Slide View
Displays each asset's thumbnail.
Each view offers different capabilities for filtering and locating digital assets. To select a view, point to the Display button, and click List View, Folder View, or Slide View.
How Digital Assets Are Stored
It is important to understand how information and files are organized in a digital asset record. There are 3 primary modules to manage information and files for a digital asset:
- Details
Use this module to enter information about the digital asset and configure items such as the access list and the print on demand settings. - Versions
Every digital asset must contain at least 1 version. In general, you create a new version of a digital asset whenever the asset file has been modified or revised. Maintaining versions of a digital asset enables you to keep a record of how the asset has been modified over time. - Renditions
A rendition is a copy of a digital asset in a specific format. Each rendition is associated with a specific version of a digital asset. The Renditions module in a digital asset record contains the current version's renditions. Each version must contain at least 1 rendition. The renditions you add to a version should be identical, except for the format in which the data or image is stored.
You manage a digital asset that is an advertisement for a line of cell phones. Because this advertisement can be used in print publications and on websites, there are multiple renditions of the digital asset. As the design of the cell phones changes, the advertisement is updated. Every time the advertisement is updated, you add a new version of the digital asset, and add the updated files as renditions.
The record for the brochure has this structure:
Digital Asset Security
Access lists and rights secure a digital asset. An access list limits who can view and who can edit the asset.
- In a digital asset record, the access list is configured on the Access List tab.
- In a folder record, the access list is configured on the Folder Permissions tab.
The setting of the Digital Asset Access List system parameter determines how these access lists manage digital asset security.
| System Parameter Option | To Access a Digital Asset |
|---|---|
|
Digital Asset Access List Only |
Users must be added to its access list. In the folder view, to enable a user to access a digital asset in a specific folder, you must also add the user to the folder's permissions list. If this option is selected, a folder's permissions list only determines which users can see the folder in the folder view. |
|
Digital Asset Access List and Folder Permissions |
Users can be added to either of these access lists:
In the folder view, to enable a user to access a digital asset in a specific folder, you must also add the user to the folder's permissions list. Caution:
If you assign a user to a folder's
permissions list, the assigned access level
applies to all assets in the folder, even when the
user is browsing for digital assets in the list
view or slide view.
|
Key Fields
Details
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Thumbnail |
This field displays a small representation of the digital asset to help you identify it. Clicking the thumbnail opens the Digital Asset Info page. |
|
Type |
Select a category for the digital asset. Your selection can affect the additional tabs, sections, and fields that appear. You configure digital asset types in the System Types module in System Tools. |
|
Digital Asset Status |
Select whether the asset is available for use. Note:
To access inactive digital assets, you must filter for assets with the status of Inactive. Expired digital assets can be accessed only by users with access to the Expired Digital Assets module. |
|
Digital Asset Expiration Date |
Select or type the date after which the digital asset can no longer be used. On this date, the digital asset status is changed to Expired, and the asset is moved to the Expired Digital Assets module. |
|
Visible in Portal |
Select whether the asset is available in the Digital Assets Portal. |
|
Visible in Portal Until |
Type or select the date after which the asset is no longer available in the Digital Assets Portal. After this date, the digital asset continues to be accessible in the application. |
|
Folder Links |
Select the digital asset folders in which the asset is accessible. Depending on your organization's digital asset security settings, the folders you select can determine the users who can access the asset. You can also add digital assets to folders in the Manage Folders module. |
|
Reference Document |
Select whether the asset can be used as a reference document. A reference document is a digital asset to which an annotation can be linked. After you select Yes and save the asset, you cannot edit this field. |
|
Originating Activity |
This field provides a link to the activity from which the digital asset was promoted. If the digital asset was not promoted from an attachment in an activity, you can choose to provide a link to an activity. |
|
Owner |
Select who is ultimately responsible for maintaining the digital asset. The owner receives all notifications related to the digital asset. |
|
Use Status |
Select whether use is restricted for the digital asset. The following conditions apply if you set this field to Unavailable:
Example:
Six months ago you created a brochure for a product. Last week it was announced that the features of this product are changing. You do not want anyone to use the brochure until you update it, so you change the use status to Unavailable. |
|
Use Restrictions |
Type the limitations regarding the manner in which the digital asset can be used. This field is for reference only. The limitations you describe in this field are not enforced by the application. Users should refer to this field before using a digital asset. |
|
On-Demand Files |
Select whether users can generate on-demand files from the primary rendition of this digital asset. |
|
Keywords |
Type any significant word that helps to identify an asset. You can filter for keywords to locate digital assets. |
|
Packages |
Select the packages in which this digital asset is included. When viewing the details for a digital asset, you can click the name of a package to access the package information. You can also associate digital assets with packages in the Manage Packages module. |
|
Domains |
Select the domains in which the digital asset is available. |
|
Checked Out |
This field appears if a user has checked out the digital asset. This field indicates who checked out the digital asset and when it was checked out. |
|
Locked |
This field appears if a user has locked the digital asset. This field indicates who locked the digital asset and when it was locked. |
Digital Asset Info
This page displays basic information about the digital asset and a larger thumbnail. You can perform these actions on this page:
- Click the thumbnail to open the asset in an appropriate application. Note:
You might need additional software to open certain file formats. - Download a rendition.
- Download on-demand files.
Digital Asset Usage
The Digital Asset Usage page appears when you click the View Usage Details button on the View Digital Asset - Details page. The Details tab displays the ID and title of every item with which the digital asset is associated. For a reference document, the Reference Tags tab displays digital assets, pages, and tags that are connected to the tags in this reference document.
Version Details
The Version Details section appears on the Details tab when you create a digital asset. The information you enter in this section is used as the digital asset's initial version. The file you select in the Rendition Details section is associated with this version.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Version Number |
Type a version number for the first version, or use the default version number. The next time you create a version of the digital asset, the version number changes automatically. If you type 1.0 for the first version, the second version is automatically 1.1. |
Rendition Details
This section appears when you create a digital asset or a digital asset version. Use this section to select the file for the asset or version's initial rendition.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Dynamic Rendering |
This field appears if the system administrator has configured dynamic rendering. Select whether other renditions are created automatically when the digital asset is created. The setting of the Dynamic Rendering and On-Demand File system parameter determines which formats are generated automatically. For more information, contact your system administrator. |
|
Send Notification |
Select whether an email message is sent to the selected users, groups, and other recipients when the digital asset record is created or modified. |
|
Subject |
This field is available if the Send Notification field is set to Yes. Type the subject used in the email messages sent regarding the rendition. |
|
Users |
This field appears if the Send Notification field is set to Yes. Select the users who receive an email message when the digital asset is created or modified. The selected users are added to the subscriber list. |
|
Groups |
This field appears if the Send Notification field is set to Yes. Select the groups that receive an email message when the digital asset is created or modified. The selected groups are added to the subscriber list. |
|
Other Recipients |
This field appears if the Send Notification field is set to Yes. Type the email addresses of other recipients who receive an email message when the digital asset is created or modified. Other recipients include people in your organization without an Aprimo user record. The recipients entered are added to the subscriber list. |
|
Rendition Location |
In the first field, select the manner in which to connect the file to the application. In the second field, type the path to the file, or click Select to locate the file on your computer. The functionality of this field depends on the File Upload/Download Controls system parameter. After you save a rendition, you cannot change this field. If this field contains an incorrect value, you must delete the rendition and create a new one. |
File Locations
There are 3 options to connect or upload a file to the application as a digital asset.
| Location | Description |
|---|---|
|
Internet File |
You can connect Aprimo to a digital asset using a Web address. A digital asset attached in this manner is external to Aprimo. If you choose this method, ensure the users who use the digital asset can access the website. |
|
Network File |
You can connect Aprimo to a digital asset stored on a computer shared by people in your organization. An example of a shared computer is a file server on your organization's network. This file is external to Aprimo. If you choose to point to a network file, ensure the Aprimo users who use the digital asset can access the computer that stores the file. |
|
Uploaded File |
Uploading a digital asset stores the file in a directory specifically created for use by Aprimo, enabling all users with the appropriate rights to access the asset. |
Additional Fields, Sections, and Tabs
Your system administrator can create additional fields for some objects and make them available for certain system types. Additional fields appear on the Details tab in the Additional Details section or in other sections or on other tabs that the system administrator creates.
For more information about an additional field, section, or tab, contact your system administrator. For more information about additional fields in general, see Additional Fields.
Subscriber List
The subscriber list limits who can receive notifications about the digital asset.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Users |
Select the users who can be notified when a rendition of the digital asset is created or edited. |
|
Groups |
Select the groups that can be notified when a rendition of the digital asset is created or edited. |
|
Other Recipients |
Type the email addresses of recipients who can be notified when a rendition of the digital asset is created or edited. Other recipients include people in your organization without an Aprimo user record. |
|
Unsubscribed Emails |
This field appears when you are viewing a digital asset record. This field identifies the email addresses of users who have unsubscribed from the digital asset. |
Access List
The access list limits who can view and edit a digital asset. At least 1 user must always be able to edit a digital asset.
Depending on the setting of the Digital Asset Access List system parameter, the permissions of the folders to which a digital asset is linked can also determine who has access to the digital asset.
These are the levels of access available for digital assets:
- View
A user with this access level can view the information for the digital asset. If the user has the Digital Assets, Download right, the user can also download the digital asset. The user cannot edit the information about the asset, or create new versions and renditions. - Edit
A user with this access level can view and edit the information for the digital asset, and create new versions and renditions. If the user has the Digital Assets, Download right, the user can also download the digital asset.
Print on Demand
The Print on Demand tab appears only if your organization is licensed to use the Print on Demand functionality.
Print on Demand enables Digital Assets Portal users to request print orders of digital assets. Use this tab to define the basic specifications for printing the digital asset. When an order is submitted, the information you add to this tab is automatically included in the correspondence sent to the supplier.
| Field | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
|
Enabled |
Select whether a print order can be submitted for this digital asset. |
|
|
Paper Size |
Type the dimensions of the paper on which the digital asset should be printed. |
|
|
Paper Type |
Type the kind of paper on which the digital asset should be printed. |
|
|
Paper Weight |
Type the thickness of paper on which the digital asset should be printed. |
|
|
Colors |
Type the color method that should be used to print the digital asset. |
|
|
Finishing |
Type the other operations that should be performed after the digital asset has been printed. |
|
|
Special Requirements |
Type any additional instructions for printing the digital asset. |
|
Available Quantities
Use this section to define the suppliers and quantities that can be selected by a user submitting a print order of this digital asset. The users can select from only the options defined on this tab.
You must create at least 1 entry in this section.
If you have negotiated multiple rates with the supplier, add multiple entries for the supplier to this section.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Supplier |
Select a supplier who can fulfill print on demand requests of this digital asset. This list includes only active print on demand suppliers. |
|
Quantity |
Type a quantity that can be selected by a user submitting a print order of this digital asset. Tip:
Type 1 in this field if you have negotiated a single-unit rate with the supplier. When users submit an order, they can enter the exact number of copies needed. |
|
Cost |
Type the rate that corresponds to the value you entered in the Quantity field. |
Notification
Use this tab to configure who should receive digital asset expiration notifications and when they should receive them.
The subscribers to the digital asset automatically receive the expiration notification email message for that asset. Subscribers cannot be removed from this tab.
When editing the Notification tab, the Reset button returns the fields to the last saved settings. The Defaults button returns the fields to the default settings configured by the system administrator.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Notification List |
Move the users who should receive the expiration notification from the Available list to the Selected list. |
|
Downloaded from Portal |
Type the number of days before the expiration date that an expiration notification is sent to users who have downloaded this digital asset. Select the Anytime check box to have the expiration notification sent to the users who have downloaded the asset, regardless of date. |
|
Submitted Print on Demand |
Type the number of days before the expiration date that an expiration notification is sent to users who have used Print on Demand for this digital asset. Select the Anytime check box to have the expiration notification sent to the users who have used Print on Demand for the asset, regardless of date. |