Abstract:
A method and system of providing easy configuration of asset metadata for each type of asset in a Web-based asset management is disclosed. The method and system comprises of one XML schema file for each asset type defined in the system, one XSL asset creation process stylesheet file that can be used with any XML schema file, one XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet for each asset type defined in the system, a Web-based application that uses the XML schema file and XSL asset creation process stylesheet file to display a form for the user to enter the metadata for a new asset, and to validate the data entry against the schema, and a XML database to store XML asset attribute files (one for each unique asset). Additionally, the method and system makes it possible for viewable files be linked to an asset metadata field with a unique XML asset attribute file, such as to facilitate previewing. The method and system further includes how metadata searching can be performed using the provided XML schema and XSL asset metadata layout stylesheets. Accordingly, a system and method in accordance with the present invention helps minimize development effort to handle custom asset metadata for different asset types and to allow different metadata fields to be searchable with various criteria for different asset types. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES  
       [0001]    The present application is co-pending with and claims priority benefit of provisional application entitled “Method and System for User Customizable Asset Metadata Generation in a Web-Based Asset Management System”, Application S. No. 60/420,726 and filed on 24 Oct. 2002, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a system and method to ameliorate asset management by a web-based software application. More particularly, the present invention relates to web-based asset management and more particularly still to how asset metadata can be configured, managed, and displayed differently for distinct asset types for multiple customers, each with distinct business needs, in the same system.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    It is not easy for an asset management system to support multiple asset types where each type of asset may have several custom attributes, e.g. metadata. Asset information and metadata may be typically stored in database tables that have to be created based on the metadata fields, field types, and the field lengths contained in the database tables.  
           [0004]    Two methods exist for creating a table schema. In a first method, the table schema is created by database programmers based on input from end-users before the database is used by an application. In a second method, an application prompts a user to create the metadata fields, field types, and field length for each asset type and then builds each needed table programmatically. In general, the development process for creating such database tables is complex and time consuming. Moreover, once created, the tables are not particularly flexible.  
           [0005]    A need exists for a web-based asset management system that provides a flexible way for multiple users to specify different metadata for different asset types and to be able to make use of those defined metadata fields in searching for assets of a certain type.  
           [0006]    An Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema alone does not provide a way to ascertain whether metadata values that seem to be correct properly reflect the visual sense of a media object or asset. It is therefore also desirable to be able to visually preview the asset in order to validate the asset&#39;s metadata and help manage the asset. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an asset management system in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an XML schema file in which the asset metadata fields are defined for a specific asset type.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an XSL asset creation process stylesheet file.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet file.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a XML asset attribute file created with metadata input from a user.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a graphical user interface (GUI) for an asset metadata input form (for a particular asset type) that was created by XLS transformation from the XML schema file and the XSL asset creation process stylesheet.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an asset metadata search form.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 8 illustrates an XML database collection structure.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 9 illustrates a block flow diagram of the asset creation process in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 10 illustrates a block flow diagram of the asset search process in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 11 illustrates an example of an asset metadata file with a viewable thumbnail image. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]    A method and system of providing configuration of asset metadata for each asset type is disclosed. In an embodiment, a web-based asset management system comprises an XML schema file for each asset type defined in the system, an XSL asset creation process stylesheet file that can be used with any XML schema file, an XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet for each asset type defined in the system, a web-based application that uses the XML schema file and XSL asset creation process stylesheet file to display a form for the user to enter the metadata for a new asset and to validate the data entry against the schema, and an XML database to store XML asset attribute files (one for each unique asset). As used herein, “web-based” is meant to comprise a system that can be accessed via a web browser, including those that make use of the Internet, intranet, extra-net, and similar data networks.  
         [0019]    In an alternative embodiment, if an XML database server is not used, a dedicated file system may be used to house the XML schema files, the XSL asset creation process stylesheet, the XML asset metadata files, and the various other XML files used by the system.  
         [0020]    The method and system further includes how metadata searching can be performed using the provided XML schema and XSL asset metadata layout stylesheets.  
         [0021]    A block diagram of web-based application system  1  in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown, web-based application system  1  comprises HTTP server  10 , System Server  12 , and XML database server  14 . System Server  12  may also include implementation of an application server, e.g. web application server  16 .  
         [0022]    For each uniquely defined type of asset, web-based application system  1  may further comprise an asset metadata template for an asset type in XML schema file  20 , where XML schema file  20  comprises a description of metadata fields and corresponding field type and field length for the asset type; XSL asset creation process stylesheet file  30  that can be used with XML schema file  20 , XSL asset creation process stylesheet file  30  adapted to traverse XML schema file  20  and create a form displayed in a user interface based on a field specified in XML schema file  20 , e.g. form  60  in FIG. 6; XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet  40  further comprising an XSL asset metadata display definition for an asset type in XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet  40 ; and web-based application  18  adapted to utilize asset metadata XML schema file  20  and XSL asset creation process stylesheet file  30  when performing an XSL transformation that displays an input form, e.g. form  60 , for a user to enter asset metadata information. Additionally, XML asset attribute file  50  may exist for each unique asset.  
         [0023]    XML database server  14  may be used to store XML schema files  20 , XSL asset creation process stylesheet  30 , and XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet files  40  as well as one or more XML asset attribute files  50  created with metadata input from one or more users.  
         [0024]    In an embodiment, web-based application system  1  may further be adapted to utilize asset metadata XML Schema file  20  to display a form used to create an asset and validate the user input. Web-based application system  1  also allows a user to preview or otherwise manipulate the asset, if it has been defined as a previewable in XML schema file  20 , such as via a browser which makes use of a media player.  
         [0025]    As used herein, XSL transformation may further comprise display of a metadata field for defined assets of a specific asset type for user manipulation of stored metadata. Manipulation may comprise review or modification of data, or the like, or a combination thereof.  
         [0026]    Web-based application system  1  may further be adapted to perform data validation on user data and store asset metadata into XML database  14 . XML database  14  may comprise one collection per asset type per customer, one collection for a specific asset type for a given customer where the collection further comprises a list of asset metadata XML files, or the like, or a combination thereof.  
         [0027]    Web-based application system  1  may further be adapted to utilize a searchable field defined in asset metadata XML schema  20  for a specific asset type to allow a user to search for assets based on the metadata defined in the XML schema for that asset type.  
         [0028]    Web-based application  18  further comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) component, GUI  17 , and storage management subsystem  15  to help process requests from users. In a preferred embodiment, web-based application  18  resides in system server  12 . Web-based application  18  may utilize one or more configuration files, XML schema file  20  and XSL asset creation process stylesheet file  30 , to display an input form, e.g.,  60  in FIG. 6, to allow a user to enter asset metadata information using GUI  17 .  
         [0029]    Web-based application system  1  may further be adapted to utilize the asset metadata XML file and the asset metadata display XSL file to display XML asset attribute file  50  using GUI  17 .  
         [0030]    Referring additionally to FIG. 2, XML schema file  20  may be used to generate a HyperText Markup Language (“HTML”) data input form through XSL Transformation (XSLT) technology to accommodate specific user needs for asset metadata storage/repository. XML schema file  20  comprises a description of one or more metadata fields with a corresponding field type and field length for each asset type of a plurality of asset types. XML schema file  20  may further comprise a set of complex rules and enable parsing of XML Schema elements out through XSLT technology to properly generate user input fields for metadata.  
         [0031]    XML schema file  20  is a well-formed XML file that specifies metadata fields and the corresponding field type, e.g., integer, character, etc., as well as field length. As illustrated in FIG. 2, XML schema file  20  comprises one or more asset metadata fields which may be defined for a specific asset type. In a preferred embodiment, XML schema file  20  further conforms to a file naming convention, e.g. asset_attributes_&lt;asset_type&gt;.xsd, where &lt;asset_type&gt; can be “mpg,” “jpg,” “exe,” or any file type that uniquely defines the metadata attributes associated with that asset type, e.g. such as for a given customer, as illustrated in FIG. 8.  
         [0032]    XML schema file  20  may further comprise a specifier to signify whether a field is optional or searchable or both, whether an asset can be handled by a media player such as those that may be launched through a web browser, or the like, or a combination thereof. For example, a field may be designated as optional by specifying a specific value such as “minOccurs” and “maxOccurs” and/or defined as searchable. A field may also be specified as allowing a link, e.g. a universal resource location (URL), to a manipulatable file such as a viewable jpeg file. This may be useful in providing preview or “thumbnail” image  92  (as illustrated in detail form  90  in FIG. 11). Additionally, other fields may be included, e.g. a field that specifies if a file type can be handled or otherwise manipulated, e.g. played, by a media player via a browser. XML schema file  20  may comprise a description of metadata fields and corresponding field type and field length for each asset type of a plurality of asset types. There may be one or more XML schema files, e.g. a plurality may be present where each XML schema file is associatable with a specified asset type, e.g. for a specific customer.  
         [0033]    If XML database  14  is present, XML schema file  20  may be stored in XML database  14  such as in a collection, as illustrated in FIG. 8 as Config_&lt;Customer&gt;.  
         [0034]    Web-based application  18 , in conjunction with an XSLT processor, may use XML schema  20  to display in the GUI  17  the asset metadata creation form  30 . Web-based application  18  and the processor use the XSLT stylesheet, matching templates to nodes and performing a tree-to-tree transformation that results in a “result tree.” If the transformation converts an XML document into HTML, the result tree may contain a tree of HTML elements that may be sent to a browser.  
         [0035]    Referring now to FIG. 3, XSL asset creation process stylesheet  30  is a well-formed XML file that a user interface such as GUI  17  in FIG. 1 may utilize to traverse through XML schema file  20  (FIG. 1) to create a form for an initial definition of an asset based on the fields specified in XML schema file  20 , e.g. form  60  in FIG. 6. XSL asset creation process stylesheet  30  comprises layout information used for configuration of the display form for the initial definition of a new asset for a specified asset type.  
         [0036]    XSL asset creation process stylesheet  30  may therefore be adapted to aid with configuration of the display for the initial definition of a new asset within web-based application system  1 . XSL asset creation process stylesheet  30  may be named according to a convention, e.g. asset_attributes.xsl, as illustrated in FIG. 8.  
         [0037]    XSL asset creation process stylesheet  30  can be used with XML schema files  20  (FIG. 1) that have been defined in web-based application system  1 , and, if XML database  14  (FIG. 1) is used, may also be stored in XML database  14 , e.g. in a named collection such as Config_&lt;Customer&gt; illustrated in FIG. 8.  
         [0038]    Referring now to FIG. 4, XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet  40  may be used to describe how the metadata for assets of a specific asset type should be displayed. XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet  40  may conform to the file naming convention as illustrated in FIG. 8, e.g. asset_attributes_&lt;asset type&gt;.xsl.  
         [0039]    Referring now to FIG. 5, a user created asset metadata file, XML asset attribute file  50 , may comprise data a user enters via GUI  17  about a particular asset, such as the copyright owner, date created, rating, or other information, for all fields defined in the XML schema file which a particular customer wants to track for assets of that type. Additionally, a unique XML asset attribute file  50  may exist for each unique asset. In a preferred embodiment, a unique XML asset attribute file  50  will exist for each unique asset. Each XML asset attribute file  50  will contain metadata uniquely associated with each individual asset. XML asset attribute file  50  may conform to the file naming convention as illustrated in FIG. 8, e.g. &lt;filename&gt;.xml.  
         [0040]    Referring now to FIG. 6, GUI  17  may comprise a tabular or other display that allows a user to input data needed to operate web-based application system  1 . In such an environment, form  60  may be created dynamically by a transform governed by XML schema file  20  (FIG. 2) and data in XSL asset creation process stylesheet  30  (FIG. 3).  
         [0041]    Referring now to FIG. 7, additional displays of GUI  17  may be used to aid in searching assets via web-based application system  1 , e.g. via search form  70 .  
         [0042]    Referring now to FIG. 8, an exemplary XML Database Collection Structure is illustrated.  
         [0043]    In the operation of an exemplary embodiment, a user, through use of web-based application system  1 , may make a request to web-based application  18  (FIG. 1) to create a new asset, i.e., define a unique file in web-based application system  1  for that asset with associated metadata, or to modify an existing asset&#39;s metadata.  
         [0044]    An asset metadata file usable by a web-based asset management application may be defined by providing an asset metadata template for an asset type in XML schema file,  20  (FIG. 1); providing XSL asset creation process stylesheet file  30  (FIG. 1) that can be used with XML schema file  20  where XSL asset creation process stylesheet file  30  is adapted to traverse XML schema file  20  and create a form, e.g. form  60  (FIG. 6) displayed in user interface GUI  17  (FIG. 1), based on one or more fields specified in XML schema file  20 ; and providing XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet  40  which may further comprise asset metadata display definition for defined (i.e., already created) assets of a specified asset type.  
         [0045]    Web-based application  18  may be adapted to utilize asset metadata XML Schema file  20  to access the asset, e.g. via a browser. For those assets marked as previewable, accessing the previewable asset may comprise viewing the asset at a display, e.g. using the browser, hearing the asset using the browser where the browser further launches a media player or other helper application in response to the access, or the like, or a combination thereof.  
         [0046]    Referring now to FIG. 9, when a user makes a request to define a new asset, e.g. through GUI  17  (FIG. 1) (step  100 ), HTTP server  10  (FIG. 1) forwards the request to web-based application  18  (FIG. 1) (steps  105 ,  110 ). The user may select from a list of asset types that have been defined for that customer such as may be presented on a form in GUI  17 . Once the user selects the asset type, GUI  17  retrieves a previously defined asset metadata XML schema file  20  (FIG. 2) for that asset type and XSL asset creation process stylesheet  30  (FIG. 3) from an appropriate source, e.g. XML database  14  (FIG. 1), and performs an XSL transformation (step  115 ) using those files to bring up the metadata input form for that asset type to be presented via GUI  17 . An example of such an input form, form  60 , is illustrated in FIG. 6.  
         [0047]    Once a user enters metadata and submits a request for the metadata to be processed, (step  120 ), a process such as GUI  17  (FIG. 1) may perform data validation against each field type and field length as defined in XML schema file  20  for that asset type (step  125 ). If the metadata validation is successful, web-based application  18  (FIG. 1) combines the user-entered metadata along with XML metadata schema file  20  to create an asset metadata XML file which may be stored in XML database  14 , e.g. in a collection named Asset_&lt;Customer&gt;_&lt;asset_type&gt; for that customer (step  130 ). If the metadata validation is unsuccessful, an error message may be displayed to inform the user who may then be prompted or otherwise allowed to correct the mistake (step  135 ) and resubmit a corrected request.  
         [0048]    Referring now to FIG. 10, a user&#39;s search for assets may be enhanced based on easily configured searchable metadata fields. When a user makes a request to web-based application  18  to search for assets based on metadata fields, (step  200 ), the request may be presented to HTTP server  10  (step  205 ) and then forwarded to web-based application  18  (step  210 ). To begin the searching process, the user may first select an asset type, e.g. using GUI  17 . Once the user selects the asset type, GUI  17  may present the user with a list of searchable fields (step  215 ) as defined in the metadata of XML schema  20  (FIG. 2) for that asset type. The user may then select one or more search criteria (illustrated in form  70  in FIG. 7) such as via GUI  17  and submit a search request (step  220 ). GUI  17  may be used to perform an XPath/XQuery search (step  225 ) on all the asset metadata XML files in a collection of XML database  14  for that asset type for a particular customer, and then create a list of assets that match the search criteria.  
         [0049]    GUI  17  (FIG. 1) may further perform an XSL transformation on the asset metadata XML using XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet file  30  (FIG. 4) to list the assets that meet the search criteria (step  230 ), thus enabling the user to then select any one of the listed assets (step  235 ) to bring up all the detailed asset metadata information (steps  240 ,  245 ) that had previously been saved. This may include a link to a viewable file which is then displayed in a pre-defined area of GUI  17  accordingly along with the other metadata fields, e.g. shown at  90 , 92  in FIG. 11. XSL asset metadata layout stylesheet file  30  (FIG. 4) may be used to display this information.  
         [0050]    The present invention comprises a novel use of template design for use in creation of an asset, displaying metadata about an asset, and, where possible, viewing the asset itself. The method described herein uses metadata validation tasks in an environment that needs to be flexible to be able to utilize different metadata for each of many different types of assets. In an embodiment, the novel use of the single template design for metadata creation for each unique asset type in the system is described that allows specifying XML metadata in an adaptive way during the metadata creation and validation process.  
         [0051]    Further, a novel use of visual preview with a single metadata template for creating assets for a unique asset type has been devised that greatly enhances the metadata creation and validation tasks, such as those enabled in an asset management system that allows extensive metadata descriptions to be associated to various types of assets.  
         [0052]    In an aspect of the invention, it is possible to link a viewable file to a unique XML asset in order to facilitate previewing the asset to ensure that, in fact, the metadata (e.g., length) properly describes the asset.  
         [0053]    The present invention utilizes XML, XML schema, XSL, and XSL transformation to address such needs. A XML database may be used with the present invention. Alternatively, a dedicated file system that contains the necessary XML configuration files can be used. However, XML by itself is not meant to be a mechanism to provide a fully asset independent platform for customizing the metadata. The use of a single and adaptive metadata template has been devised in order to support fully customizable metadata in an asset management system. A single metadata template for each type of asset description is a novel feature for this asset management system.  
         [0054]    One aspect of the invention is that a metadata template and its method of use allow a user to define many different kinds of things they like to know about assets of that type in their system. No matter what they put in the metadata template in order to help manage assets, the underpinning system does not need to change.  
         [0055]    It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated above in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle and scope of the invention as recited in the appended claims.