Creating Metadata Profiles

Metadata refers to the additional information that an IBM Aspera Faspex on Demand user can send with a file package. For example, when a user sends an audio-file package to his producer, he is required to specify the sample rate, bit depth and compression. In this case, the sample rate, bit depth and compression represent a package's metadata. The "Submit Package" form can be easily configured to include input fields for sample rate, bit depth and compression. To do so, we must set up a metadata profile. The metadata profile contains your metadata fields.

For example, the example metadata profile, Audio Details, contains the following fields:

Sample rate (text input field)
Bit Depth (option list that includes 8-bit, 16-bit and 24-bit)
Compression (text input field)

To create, view and edit metadata profiles, start by going to Server > Metadata. As an Administrator, you can designate which metadata profile each Dropbox's "Submit Package" page will use, as well as which profile the normal "New Package" page will use. Admins can also elect to assign "(none)" as a metadata profile in cases where no metadata fields are desired.

On the Metadata Profiles page, any profiles that you have previously created will be available under the Profile for normal packages drop-down list.

Go to Server > Metadata and click Add New Profile.
Name the profile. Click Create.
Add a field to capture user-entered data. Click Add Field and select the metadata type from the Add Field drop-down menu.
- Select Text input: Create a single-line text field.
- Select Text area: Create a multiline text field.
- Select Option list: Create a radio button-based options list.
Note: You can add multiple metadata fields.

Modify the field template.

Each field option has a template associated with it. Using the template, you can modify a field's label. Click the Edit button for a field to edit the template.

#	Description
A	Use the arrows to order multiple metadata fields.
B	Enter the metadata field's label. This label appears next to the field on the New Package form.
C	Select Required to make the field required.
D	Click the button to delete fields.
E	For an options list, enter multiple options that are separated by commas.

Click Done to finish editing the corresponding field

Click Save Fields.
The new metadata profile appears on your Metadata Profiles page along with any other profiles that you have created.
Select a profile for normal packages from the Profile for normal packages drop-down menu.

The selected profile modifies the New Package Form. For more information, see Sending Packages.
Select Save metadata to file. When selected, the package's metadata is saved to its root directory in the file aspera-metadata.xml. You can use the XML data for post-processing and automation.
You can configure Faspex to include the metadata file the package itself, instead of being placed at the root directory of the package. To enable this, set the SaveMetadataInPackage option to true in the production section of the faspex.yml configuration file. The faspex.yml file is located in the following directory:
```
/opt/aspera/faspex/config/faspex.yml
```
```
production:
    ...
    SaveMetadataInPackage: true
    ...
```
After saving changes in faspex.yml, restart Faspex.
```
asctl faspex:restart
```
Now, whenever Save metadata to file is selected, aspera-metadata.xml is inserted in packages and it is visible when the package contents are viewed in Faspex.

Click Edit to modify your profile or Delete to remove it.

Note: When you forward a package, the original metadata is preserved in the note, even as new metadata fields from the current profile are available. However, even if "Save metadata to file" is enabled, no new aspera-metadata.xml file is created.