TESSA
Profile Index
Vendor Details
Contact Name
Torsten HerbertCompany Profile
TESSA DAM is a digital asset management solution from EIKONA Media GmbH. The development of TESSA DAM is based on experience gained from numerous projects in the areas of data management, system integration and content management.
Today, as a manufacturer, we sell this DAM solution via a network of sales and integration partners. TESSA Digital Asset Management is currently available in German, English and French and is used worldwide for our customers.
Today, as a manufacturer, we sell this DAM solution via a network of sales and integration partners. TESSA Digital Asset Management is currently available in German, English and French and is used worldwide for our customers.
Contact Telephone
09381-717780Contact Email
hello@tessa-dam.comCompany Website
https://www.tessa-dam.comYears Trading
18Company Turnover Category
The turnover of the vendor can give an indication of their size. US Dollars is used as common currency to allow comparisons. Note that turnover is not necessarily any indicator of financial stability but as part of any procurement due diligence you are obliged to carry out by your organisation, any vendors who have not agreed to show their turnover here might be required to do so if subsequently appointed.
- $1m - $2m
Company Turnover
This is the actual turnover of the vendor in US Dollars.
1000000Percentage of Revenue From DAM Software
A vendor might have a large turnover and many employees, but their DAM software division is a very small element of what they offer. If a large proportion of their revenue comes from DAM solutions (licenses, support, hosting, consulting etc) then this may mean they are more specialised, but also there are risks to their overall financial stability if there is a downturn in the DAM software market.
50Number of Full-Time Employees
Along with turnover, the number of full-time employees gives an indication of the size of the vendor. Note that although a firm might have many employees, not all of them might be dedicated to developing DAM solutions, so this cannot be relied on in isolation.
15Office Locations
- Wuerzburg
Product Name
TESSA Digital Asset ManagementLatest Version Number
1.2.5Date Of Last Release
01/10/2018Online trial link
https://www.tessa-dam.comPartner Network
If the vendor operates through a sales channel they may use intermediaries who have regional focus or additional specialisms in a given vertical market.
- No
Licensing
Licensing Model
This refers to the type of licence the DAM system software is supplied under. Proprietary means that the developer restricts access to the source code (the instructions used to generate the software). Open source means that the developer provides full access to the code so you can modify it yourself. Split model is hybrid and means they may offer both options with some restrictions removed (or added) depending on the model chosen. If split is selected, it is advisable to verify the differences with the vendor.
- Proprietary
Use of Open Source Components
Many DAM systems use freely available open source components to deliver key functionality. The products themselves may not be open source, however. This question will help to identify to what extent they are open source.
- Some open source components used, but core product is not open source
Hosting
Software Delivery Methods
- Installed (On-Premise)
- Cloud/SaaS
- Hybrid
Technology
Client
Client refers to the type of hardware or software device that can be used to access or control the DAM system.
- Web client
Server Operating Systems supported
This only applies for installed or hybrid DAM systems and refers to what types of OS they can be run on. This question is less relevant for DAM systems where a third party will be hosting it for you.
- Linux
Web Server
The type of web server software that the DAM system can operate with. Not all DAM systems use a web server and for pure SaaS products the question is irrelevant. If you either want SaaS or non-web DAM systems, do not choose an option.
- Apache
Software Development Technologies Used
This means the programming language or development technology used to implement the DAM system. This question is more important for open source software or if you have IT policy restrictions that require you to use (or not use) some technologies. It may not be relevant if you require a hosted DAM and never intend to host the system in-house.
- PHP
Database Technology
The Database that the DAM system uses. All DAM systems require some kind of storage for asset metadata and they are usually based on an existing technology - but that may not always be a conventional database. If the DAM will be hosted by someone else (e.g. SaaS/Cloud) this question may not be relevant.
- MySQL
Search Technologies
This refers to third party search components that the vendor uses to provide the text search features (and sometimes other related search functions).
- ElasticSearch
- Custom (developed in-house)
Service Oriented Architecture
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) means the vendor's product uses a modular architecture where each core DAM function is delivered as a service which can be separated out independently from other functions. It is important for large-scale Digital Asset Management implementations or more complex integration requirements.
- Yes
Service Oriented Architecture Definition
Some vendors have widely differing opinions of what Service Oriented Architecture means. Their response to this question allows you to understand if their definition concurs with your own. If you are not contemplating a large scale DAM implementation or one with many complex integration requirements, SOA may not be relevant to your needs.
Tessa DAM is designed in such a way that the following areas can be further developed, used and scaled independently of each other. The application server, the storage server, the internal search engine and the conversion server. All areas are linked via appropriate interfaces and can be operated and scaled on their own servers.
Unique SOA Services
If the vendor uses a Service Oriented Architecture, they should be able to identify a number of unique services that are isolated from each other. Note there is overlap between with question and the one about scalable asset processing. Some vendors do not have an SOA but do offer large scale asset processing capabilities.
- Storage
- Asset Media Processing
- Metadata Extraction
- User Authentication
- Search
Microservices
Microservices are similar in nature to Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) with the key difference being that they can be deployed entirely independently of the platform that uses them. Microservices are usually prevalent in Digital Asset Supply Chain projects.
- No
Microservices Definition
As with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) some vendors have different opinions of what microservices are. Their response to this question allows you to understand if their definition concurs with your own. If you are not contemplating a Digital Asset Supply Chain project, large scale DAM implementation or one with many complex integration requirements, microservices may not be relevant to your needs.
there are no microservices in tessa
Search
Search Features
This describes the search strategies that can be used to find assets. If you do not understand any of them, leave the options de-selected. Most DAM systems should support at least keyword search at a minimum.
- Keyword
- Auto-suggest
- Folders
- Filters
- Linked Asset Search
Search Notes
TESSA DAM can access connected PIM systems in real time and use them to index assets. This means that once an asset is linked to one or more products, it can be found by searching for any product attribute.
Index/Search Text Content Of Documents
Some DAM systems can search the text content of document assets and that might be important for your DAM solution.
- Yes
Metadata
Embedded metadata support (reading)
Embedded metadata refers to information stored within asset files which can be searched from the DAM system. There are different standards for this type of metadata. Some image cataloguing software like Adobe Lightroom will write this data to asset files and a device like a camera may capture details also such as GPRS coordinates where an photo was shot. XMP metadata is often used with other types of files such as InDesign or PDF. If you are unsure whether this applied to you, do not check any options.
- IPTC
- IPTC Core
- XMP
- EXIF
Embedded metadata support (writing)
See the reading question above for more details on what embedded metadata is. This question refers to whether embedded metadata can be written back to files if edited within the DAM system.
- IPTC
- XMP
- EXIF
Controlled Vocabularies
Controlled Vocabularies are predefined lists of search terms. They can be realised in many different ways but the common factor is the user picks from a restricted selection rather than enters a keyword. Most DAM systems will usually support both controlled vocabularies and keywords.
- No
User Defined Metadata Fields
The ability to configure metadata your own metadata fields is important for DAM systems so you can assign a dedicated field for certain items of information rather than using a generic classification method or one of the vendor's own standard fields.
- Yes
Cataloguing Interface Options
When cataloguing assets with custom fields, some metadata will be controlled selections, others will be free text. There are further choices like date fields, file attachments etc.
- Text field
- Text area (narrative)
- Radio
- Drop down menu
- Combo-box (multi-item selection)
- Checkbox
- Date
- File attachment
- Numbers
- Other
Cataloguing Interface Notes
Verify how the vendor has implemented a given cataloguing interface control. It is preferable if they can demonstrate with examples of how they have implemented interface options for cataloguing and metadata entry.
Text field: single line text input field
Textarea: multi line text input field
Radio: radio buttons to make a choice for a single value
Drop down: selct field to make a choice for a single value
Checkbox: checkbox to make a choice for one or more options
Date: date field
File attachment: drag&drop upload for additional files of any type
Number: single line text input field for integers only
Other: list fields (select on or more options from a gridview)
Textarea: multi line text input field
Radio: radio buttons to make a choice for a single value
Drop down: selct field to make a choice for a single value
Checkbox: checkbox to make a choice for one or more options
Date: date field
File attachment: drag&drop upload for additional files of any type
Number: single line text input field for integers only
Other: list fields (select on or more options from a gridview)
Business Intelligence & Reporting
Asset Usage Records
To enable reports to be generated, DAM solutions must retain records of asset usage, including searching, download and editing of records. The reporting should include the user who carried out the activity and the date/time it occurred.
- Yes
Asset Usage Notes
assets downloaded by user, assets downloaded by collection, assets downloaded via the api, assets used per channel
Audit Trail
A detailed audit trail that logs every user action in a central record is useful to gain insight into user behaviour. Comprehensive audit trails allow DAM system users to produce reports that address their unique needs.
- Yes
Audit Trail Notes
this is an optional feature. if active tessa is connected to matomo (piwik)
Built-In Reports
A range of built-in reports that you can quickly generate is useful to answer common questions such as the "what is our most popular asset?".
- Most popular assets by download
- Average number of search results returned over a given period
- Download activity over a given period
- Login activity over a given period
- Popular search terms
Reporting Notes
total number of available assets, total number of new assets, total number of assets that are processed (scaled, converted, etc.) in the background, assets used in a collection, assets used in saved searches, downloads of assets, assets per category, archived assets, etc.
Asset Processing
Dedicated/Scalable Proxy or Derivative Asset Generation
Nearly all DAM systems will generate thumbnails and previews of media, including more dynamic types like video or audio. Some products use a separate server to do this which usually makes them more suitable for large scale asset ingestion and processing.
- Yes
Dedicated/Scalable Proxy or Derivative Asset Generation Notes
the conversion server is a stand alone server that is connected with tessa via api interface and optional load balancer
Multi-Page Document Asset Previews
If you deal with document oriented assets, having a solution which can generate multi-page previews (and also zoom in on them) can save the hassle of downloading a file only to discover it is not the one you need. For assets with very similar content, this can be a useful feature.
- Yes
Multi-Page Document Asset Preview Notes
tessa creates previews of multi page documents like powerpoint, word, pdf, etc. and shows this preview files in the webbrowser. the user can scroll the pages and jump to selected pages. no plugin is needed
Asset Manipulation
Image Manipulation
Many DAM systems allow users to manipulate images by resizing, cropping etc. Choose any features which are important to your users.
- Image re-sizing
- Image cropping
- Format conversion
- Change colorspace
- Batch manipulate groups of assets
Video Manipulation
Some DAM systems may allow video assets to be converted or modified. If that is a potential requirement for you, specify those features which are likely to be needed. EDL = Edit Decision List and refers to providing in/out points when editing video footage.
- Format conversion
- Timeline metadata
- Batch operations on multiple video assets
Data Import/Export
Importing Metadata
Importing metadata is an important feature if you have either legacy assets or metadata is generated using some other tools (for example a spreadsheet). Not all systems offer this, but usually if the feature is not available, the vendor will be able to carry out batch importing for you via professional services (note: this will usually incur a cost, unlike a built-in capability).
- Yes
Metadata Import Formats
This question only applies if the vendor has features to import metadata. There are common formats like CSV, XML and Excel which DAM solutions may support. If this is a requirement you are likely to make frequent use of, it is essential to verify whether the product supports the formats you typically work with.
- CSV (or any delimited file)
- XML
- Excel (XLS or XLSX)
Metadata Import Notes
additional ways are the restapi and database connections
Exporting Metadata
As well as importing metadata, sometimes it is important to be able to export sections of it to conduct further analysis in third party applications. Not all products support this, but usually it will be possible to request the vendor provides an export via professional services (although a fee may be charged).
- Yes
Metadata Export Formats
This question only applies if the vendor has features to export metadata. There are common formats like CSV, XML and Excel which DAM solutions may support. If this is a requirement you are likely to make frequent use of, it is essential to verify whether the product supports the formats you typically work with.
- CSV (or other delimited file)
- XML
- Excel (XLS or XLSX)
Metadata Export Notes
additional ways are the restapi and database connections
Integration
API
API means Application Programming Interface and allows third party software to control a DAM system. If you intend to integrate your DAM with another existing solution then you need to choose the API protocol that is compatible with that.
- REST
- SOAP
Hooks
Hooks are related to APIs but are initiated by the application rather than by an external application making the request. Hooks allow other actions to be initiated based on events, for example if a user downloads an asset, an action can be commenced to notify another application that this has taken place (along with the ID number of the asset, date/time etc).
- Yes
Hooks Targets Supported
In most DAM applications that support them, hooks are initiated as web requests, so the system will call a given external URL and provide some parameters. Some solutions also support initiating scripts or applications which can run on the server where the system is hosted.
- Web hooks
- Scripts (using an existing scripting feature, if it exists)
Hooks Definition
If the vendor claims support for hooks, check how they define them and see if their interpretation concurs with your own. A reasonably detailed explanation along with citations/links should be given here.
The architecture of TESSA is structured in such a way that hooks are implemented using empty method calls. This means that any customer-specific actions can be executed using customer-specific methods that are implemented by inheritance or delegation. These methods can be found at all relevant points in the CRUD function sequences in all modules.
Storage Integration
Many DAM solutions will now allow assets to be stored on the server of Cloud storage providers. This allows asset files to be distributed and/or integrated with other solutions. Some third party services use generic protocols like FTP, others are proprietary.
- Amazon S3
- Dropbox
- FTP
- Google Cloud Storage
- Microsoft Azure Blob
- SFTP/SSH
Scripting & Plug-Ins
Scripting Capabilities
Some advanced DAM solutions have a scripting capability that allows users or third parties to add functionality which the vendor did not originally envisage. Usually programming skills will be required to use this, but some tools have visual interfaces also.
- No
Plug-In Support
In addition to scripting (or sometimes instead of), some DAM solutions will have a plug-in architecture that allows third party developers to extend the core platform.
- Yes
Plug-In Capability Notes
Plugins must base on the RestAPI. We provide technical documentation for the RestAPI and technical support for the third party developers.
Authentication
Authentication Support
If you need to integrate with an existing corporate authentication service then this option will be important for you.
- LDAP
Multi-Lingual Options
Multilingual Application Interface Support
The interface means the controls to use the DAM system. This is different from the metadata support which is usually entered by end users when cataloguing assets.
- English
- French
- German
Multilingual Metadata Support
See previous question. Most DAM systems with multi-lingual support will provide it for metadata.
- Yes
Version Control
File versioning
File versioning refers to the digital media associated with an asset record. This is usually the minimum requirement for a DAM system to claim support for versioning assets. See also responses to the related question about metadata versioning below.
- Yes
Metadata versioning
Metadata versioning is separate from the files associated with assets. Many DAM solutions will track updated digital assets but only retain a single current version of the metadata. Since metadata is likely to be edited many more times than assets get replaced, this can be an important point to check.
- Yes
Independent Metadata And File Versioning
This questions assesses whether the solution allows versions of either the file or metadata to be reverted independently or if both are linked to a single shared version instance.
- No
Product Screenshots
- TESSA Digital Asset Management Overview. Modern 3 columns userinterface with drag and drop functionality
- TESSA Digital Asset Management Document Preview for Images, Office Documents, Videos and Sound. You don't need to download the file to preview the asset. There are no plugins needed.
- See all the metadata for on asset in a dialog.
- Use the integrated methods to customize special rights for each user. You can manage your users in groups with special rights within TESSA DAM.
Product Datasheets
- Untitled Datasheet
Download (PDF, ~437.25 Kb)
Product Videos
Search Assets in Categories in TESSA Digital Asset Management
See how you find assets in one or more categories. One asset can be part of one or more categories and can be found by searching in one or a combination of more categories.
Categorize assets in TESSA Digital Asset Management
See how you can work with your assets and organize your asset simply by drag and drop.
TESSA Digital Asset Management is integrated in Adobe Photoshop
Access all of your assets directly in Photoshop. There is no need to leave Photoshop to open, edit or save an asset that is stored in TESSA DAM.
Import single files or complex folder structures automatically into TESSA DAM
To start with TESSA DAM the most powerful tool is the file importer. This tool can import files and link these files directly with products in your PIM system. With custom rules TESSA can extract the product sku from the file name, the folder structure or the metadata of the file.
TESSA DAM can be directly integrated in your local filesystem
With the checkin and checkout features TESSA can be integrated in your local filesystem. Just save your asset in a special folder and it will be stored in TESSA and put on the right place and category.
TESSA DAM and Akeneo PIM - A perfect match
Get the most value out of your DAM and your PIM. Just install our connector and link these to solutions. The integrations in Akeneo is the perfect way to work with your assets and your products.
Profile Last Updated: 29/10/2018