Sync DAM systems using Asset Connect

Showpad Asset Connect is a managed service that syncs assets from DAM (Digital Asset Management) or other systems to Showpad. It integrates with standard DAM and content systems using these system’s public API.

Once the integration has been set up and configured by Showpad, the DAM system acts as the single source of truth for the synced assets and the mapped metadata. The configuration includes authentication and authorization to the source system, filter criteria to determine which assets need to be synced to Showpad, and a mapping to indicate which metadata and permission fields in Showpad must be set based on metadata values in the DAM system.

Showpad Asset Connect performs a one-way sync from the source system to Showpad and overwrites any manual changes to the mapped fields in Showpad. Showpad Asset Connect makes content governance easier throughout every stage of the content lifecycle. Once set up, it reduces the manual effort of content management in a compliant and secure way without the need for an additional IT team, provider, or Systems Integrator.

Note: Showpad Asset Connect comes with a separate license and is set up in collaboration with our Professional Services teams.

See how it works

Key features

• Fully managed offering
• Syncs assets from DAM or other systems to Showpad
• Runs on a schedule (recurrent) and/or reacts to messages from the source system (on demand)
• Integrates with standard DAM systems with public API
• Receive daily reports when assets failed to sync and how to solve it
• Set up with Showpad Professional Services teams

You need this to succeed

• A separate license for Showpad Asset Connect
• One of the DAM or content systems we support
• Provide read access to the source system, via its API that must be available via internet (no private networks supported)

The quick way to awesomeness

1. Syncing options
2. File types, assets, and field mappings
3. Find details in the dashboard

Do this step by step

Syncing options

Please consult the Showpad Platform Solutions or PS teams to figure out which syncing option works best for your environment. In general, what we need to do to set up the syncing is

• Authenticate and authorize to the source system
• Filter criteria to determine which assets need to be synced to Showpad
• Decide which metadata and permission fields in Showpad need to be set based on metadata values in your DAM system

File types, assets, and field mappings

File types

The file types and extensions are validated against the ones supported by Showpad.
Additionally, other file types can be filtered out, so they do not sync with Showpad. See the Supported file types article for more information about supported file types and their recommended sizes. 

(Un)trashing assets

By default, assets are archived and moved to the trash folder in Showpad when deleted in the DAM. Suppose Showpad Asset Connect syncs the same asset again afterward (for example, because of a restore in the DAM), the previously archived asset will be restored from the trash folder.
Optionally, it can be configured to delete the asset entirely. 

Mappings

The mapping between Showpad fields, attributes, permissions, tags, and metadata from the DAM system can be very extensive and flexible. For example, we can have:

• defaults or determined values based on values in your source system
• values based on your translation configuration,
• values in lists, prefixes, and suffixes,
• appending a specific tag, so you know the source system of the assets
• external tags or regular tags
• …

Dashboard

The Asset Connect dashboard will give you an overview of actions happening with your assets. 

At first glance, in the Metrics tab you will find stats about how many files in total are currently synced to your DAM, when it was last synced successfully, and when the sync last failed.

The chart below demonstrates how many assets were created, updated, and deleted by the sync in a given timeframe. Change the date ranges to compare data, and group by month, week, day, or hour. 

In the Events tab, find an overview of assets synced to your DAM with more granular details related to the sync, such as status, operation, timestamps, external ID, and failure reason. You can search for a specific asset, filter by date range, or sort the results as needed. You can also search for failed events with a particular reason for failure. Please check the drop-down menu to see all possible failure scenarios that could occur within your integration.