Cumulus 8 - Canto

UNDERSTANDING CUMULUS 11from the catalog (unless you really want it to, which you can do, too). Formore information, see “Collections”.CategoriesLike folders in a filing cabinet, Cumulus categories serve to organizeassets (files). But here the similarities end. Assets can appear in any numberof Cumulus categories at the sametime. For more information, see“Categories”.RecordsRecords represent assets. Each record represents one asset. Records holdinformation on the asset, such as file size, type, location, creation date,and much more. Cumulus allows the creation of customizable recordfields, which can contain almost any sort of information you desire. Sincethese user-defined record fields are also fully searchable, you can tailorCumulus to fit your requirements.It’s very important to draw the distinction between records and assets.Records are part of Cumulus catalogs; assets are not. Records representassets. For more information, see “Assets/Records”.How These Work TogetherCumulus creates special files called catalogs, which Cumulus uses to keeptrack of your valuable assets. As you catalog your assets, Cumulus createsspecial catalog entries called records, which are indicators to the mediaassets. To make searching and retrieving records easier, Cumulus lets youorganize and classify records into logical groups called categories.Once cataloged, you can view assets as thumbnails or as plain text, conductsearches using generic or user-defined conditions, and track the locationof the original digital media file and preview it. Each record containsvital searchable information about the asset, such as its file name, file location,file type, file size, creation/modification date, height, width, and more.Cumulus uses catalogs to manage your assets. A Cumulus catalog containsrecords that represent the assets to be managed. A record containsinformation on the asset it represents. This information is stored in Recordfields. Cumulus makes it possible for you to determine precisely what sortof information should be kept on your assets. This can be defined differentlyfor each catalog as each catalog can have different Record fields.Any individual set of records comprises a collection. A collection is a wayof looking at your catalog(s) – the way that you are looking at it at anygiven time. A collection can be saved. Then the collection file remembersthe records it contains and even more as the Record View Set used andspecial stuff as the column width of the Details View.A Record View Set defines how records are displayed in the different viewmodes Cumulus provides: Thumbnail View, Details View, Report View,Info View and Information window. View Sets define which field’s informationshould be displayed and how (font and color). These definitions arenot specific to any one catalog. They do not care about a catalog’s recordfields and whether any information is there to be displayed. That’s whyyou have to take care to select a View Set that fits the catalog(s) or collection(s)you work with.