Media Library

Automation

The Workflow Automation engine saves time whilst improving efficiency, accountability and minimising human error. Transcoding, maintenance, notifications, cloud control – no coding skills required

Build powerful workflows by using a wide range of available tasks, such as: automated transcoding, archiving, cloud and file system operations, Media Library control, and notifications via e-mail, Slack or via the ELEMENTS Client. Need more flexibility? Simply run custom Python and Shell scripts as a step in the workflow.

This time-saving tool allows users with little to no technical knowledge the ability to reliably execute a whole list of complex tasks in a matter of seconds – right from the Media Library, macOS Finder or Windows Explorer.

Convenient integration

Setting up automated workflows within your company can be an efficiency game-changer, especially when they can be started directly from the Media Library with a single click.

Add useful metadata

Even though metadata is extremely important, it is often neglected. Use workflows to simply and automatically add useful metadata to the assets e.g. its backup status, airing date or contact person.

Precise permission management

Only users with the appropriate access permissions are allowed to start or create workflows. Furthermore, individual workflows can be enabled or disabled for each Media Library project independently.

Example – Approval workflow

A finished editing project has just received a client’s approval – trigger a preset workflow to update its status, notify all users involved and archive the approved file.

Example – Media consolidation workflow

Consolidate all media used in an editing project with a single click – a perfect way to backup all used media in full length.

Feature Specs

Platform

Workflow Automation engine integrated into the browser-based ELEMENTS Web UI / Supported browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari

Task types

Filesystem operations: Rsync, Repair workspace permissions, Workspace shadow copy, Resequence files, Copy, Move, Delete files / Media Library tasks (requires Media Library module) including: Media scan, Proxy regeneration, Remove proxies without original files, Set metadata, Merge metadata / General tasks: Transcode, Backup system settings and data, Generate system status report, Time synchronisation, Finder/Explorer refresh / Python and Shell scripting / AWS integration: S3 copy, S3 sync, S3 delete  / AI tasks (requires ELEMENTS AI module) / Notifications

Notification options

Via e-mail to any address or existing users / Slack message / Via an ELEMENTS Client notification

Job starting options

Through the Media Library (requires Media Library module) / Context menu in macOS Finder or Windows Explorer / Through the ELEMENTS management Web UI / Through job scheduling in interval or crontab scheduling modes

Licensing

Workflow Automation engine is a part of the ELEMENTS Web UI

No user count limitations / 3rd party storage license optional

Access via

Internal network or VPN / Cloud based / Via dedicated worker node w. DMZ protection

FAQ

The Automation engine helps you to centralise your workflows, simplifies their setup and provides a platform for access management, logging, notifications, error tracking, templating and much more. You can use the pre-implemented tasks or extend the workflow with custom Shell and Python scripts.

Access to the Workflow Automation engine can be granted in a granular manner to individual users or groups, and further limited to specific storage locations. The UI displays all running and finished tasks alongside the starting time and the user that has started the task.

If required, custom input such as a user, date or text field can be requested when starting a job and passed to any step in the workflow. An example use case for this function is choosing the user that has approved a certain asset before starting a backup job. An e-mail or a Slack notification can be set up to inform specific users of this action as well as that of the decision-making user.

You can take advantage of the Automation engine to reduce the manual effort of housekeeping and maintenance by defining scheduled copy or transfer jobs, reordering of still frame sequences or perform hotfolder-based transcoding. All the above are examples, but you can define and create your own Workflow Automation processes that work for you.

Automation engine doesn’t require the Media Library and the Automation jobs can be started directly from the UI, scheduled to run periodically, scheduled by using the crontab function or started from the Windows Explorer / macOS Finder context menu when an ELEMENTS workspace is mounted on a client workstation.

Glossar

COBIT

COBIT ist ein international anerkanntes Rahmenwerk für das Management und die Governance von Informationstechnologie. Es bietet ein umfassendes Regelwerk von Prinzipien, Praktiken und analytischen Instrumenten und Modellen zur Steuerung der unternehmensweiten IT.