With the metadata import, you can bulk update the metadata of existing assets in Dash in one go. Examples of this would be:
Renaming assets in bulk with a different title for each asset (e.g, adding "Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3" to each asset).
Identifying all assets that don't have a specific field filled in, and then filling this in.
Rather than editing assets directly in Dash, this method involves using a spreadsheet application (Google Sheets, Excel, etc) to bulk edit your Dash assets. Then, you import this sheet into Dash, and anything contained in this sheet will override the existing metadata in your Dash. This gives you a great deal of flexibility in the types of edits you can make.
Step 1: Get the metadata export
Instructions can be found here. You'll get a CSV file with your current asset metadata.
Step 2: Prepare the import sheet
Open up your CSV file in your desired spreadsheet application.
Column A (asset id or Filename to match on): The most important thing to do is to ensure the first column is called "Filename to match on", as it tells Dash which asset to update
Column B onwards: Your metadata fields
Adding new fields: Add new columns with field names as headers
Full guidance for correctly formatting the import spreadsheet can be found in this article.
Step 3: Make your changes
Make the necessary edits, using standard spreadsheet methods to make bulk edits to the cells. Here are a couple of example scenarios to give you an idea of what's possible:
Identifying fields with no entries so you can populate them. For example, maybe you have a controlled tag field set up called "Primary colours", and you want to identify any assets that don't have a colour added. You could filter the "Primary colours" column in your export by "blanks", then fill in the necessary colour(s) for each asset. You can do this for any other field type.
Replacing asset titles with an ascending order. For example, there may be duplicate titles across your account, so you want a more standardised way to be able to identify assets using titles. In your spreadsheet, then, you can filter to all your assets with the names you want to replace. Then, add something like "filename01", then use the drag down option to auto-populate the rest of the fields with ascending names.
You want to make multiple edits to different assets all at once, e.g. selecting all assets with a certain tag, then replacing some of these assets with one tag, some with another, etc. This is possible in Dash directly, but if you want to edit a lot of assets at once with many different edits, you might prefer using a spreadsheet. In this case, you could use find and replace to make your edits.
Ensure to double-check your formatting abides by the guidelines listed in this article on preparing your metadata import file, and you haven't accidentally changed anything. Once you've done this, your sheet is ready for import.
Step 4: Import your sheet into Dash
Go to Admin > Import > Metadata > Import your CSV file. During the import, Dash matches the column "filename to match" or"asset_id" to your assets, and updates/adds the metadata you've specified.
Done! Check your Dash to see if your assets have been updated correctly. If they haven't, ensure that you follow the steps provided above. You can also refer to the metadata import guidance article to make sure you've formatted the sheet properly. If you're still having trouble, message us via the in-app chat, and we'll be able to help.