About
Custom data helps organize content better by adding specific details through created fields, making it easier to find and manage digital assets.
Stored in a schema, also called a metadata profile, custom metadata can be assigned to any Kaltura object. The KMC supports schemas for entries and categories only. To expand entry metadata, you can create a custom schema. Custom metadata, stored as an XSD schema, allows you to create, edit, and organize data, even making your own personalized metadata interface. Custom metadata XSDs are unique to each account.
Types of metadata
Kaltura supports three types of metadata for its media assets:
Technical metadata: This includes technical attributes like file type, duration, and format. It's read-only and automatically generated during ingestion and encoding. You can access all technical metadata through the Kaltura APIs. See KalturaMediaInfo in the API Documentation for a full list of predefined fields.
Basic metadata: This is the information you manually input into the KMC Metadata tab. It includes fields like Name, Description, Tags, and Categories. You can also use the Reference ID field to store an external identifier for integration purposes or to match a filename to an entry using the Drop Folder feature (see Drop Folders Service for Content Ingestion). Tags are comma separated and can be used as filters for searching through your content. Categories allow assigning media objects to taxonomies.
Custom metadata: Also referred to as Custom Data, this is stored in a schema, also known as a metadata profile. You can create multiple schemas and assign them to any Kaltura object. The KMC supports schemas for entries and categories only. To extend the metadata of an entry, you need to create a custom schema. Commercial users can contact their account manager to enable this feature.
Custom data is stored as an XSD schema that you can use to create, edit, and manipulate data. You can also use the XSD schema to generate you own metadata interface. Custom data XSDs are account specific.
Metadata actions
You can manage assets and metadata through the following methods:
- KMC UI: Edit basic and custom metadata for single assets or apply changes to multiple selected assets.
- KMC Entries Bulk Upload (CSV/XML): Add assets in batches, including media files and associated metadata (see What is bulk upload and FTP content ingestion?).
- Kaltura APIs: Perform all metadata-related functions available in the KMC and access additional functionality not available through the UI.
Using custom data for entries
As a best practice we recommend richly mapping your media assets with metadata to make your assets more findable and better used as business objects.
You can fill in the values for the defined schema for each media asset (entry). The UI elements are built per the field type supporting text fields, check boxes for multiple selections (from predefined values list), date selector (for date fields), text list (for multiple value fields), and linked entries (for creating structure).
The schemas you customize may be used for viewing and editing, as well as for filtering, search, and syndication rules. Custom data may be used as a condition for distributing content. For example, if you are trying to distribute data and a custom data field has been defined and expected by the distribution channel, if the custom data is not received, the content will not be distributed.
Searching (and creating syndication rules) by a custom field is integrated into the KMC UI and workflows.
Using custom data for categories
Using custom data for categories allows you to add unique metadata directly to the category itself, rather than through entries’ metadata. This is particularly helpful for tailoring how categories are displayed on your website's channel pages and for creating specific filters to control category and channel displays in different areas of your site.
To create and manage categories’ custom data, you'll follow the same process as managing entries’ custom data schemas and values in the Kaltura Management Console (KMC). However, custom data schemas can only be applied to entries or categories, not both.
It's important to note that the custom data applied to categories doesn't affect the entries associated with each category. Categories’ custom data solely pertains to the category object and applies only to category-related Kaltura API calls.
Managing schemas
A schema is a model for describing the structure of information. Each data schema holds a list of customized fields. An XSD (XML Schema Definition) provides a way to describe and validate data in an XML environment.
To learn how to crate a custom metadata schema, visit our article Create a Custom Metadata Schema.
