To get started with Cumulus, you need to understand only a few basic concepts. Cumulus creates special files called catalogs, which Cumulus uses to keep track of your valuable assets. As you catalog your assets, Cumulus creates special catalog entries called records that represent the assets to be managed. Each record contains vital searchable information about the asset it represents. To make searching and retrieving records easier, Cumulus lets you organize and classify records into logical groups called categories. Any individual set of records comprises a collection. A collection is a way of looking at catalog(s).

Get more details about these Cumulus terms:

An asset in Cumulus is simply any one cataloged file or data stream. A video clip, an audio clip, an image, or a page layout document are examples of files that are commonly cataloged in Cumulus. But the word file suggests an asset that is stored on a digital medium like a hard-disk or CD-ROM. What if the asset is a record in a database? This is not a file per se, but as far as Cumulus is concerned, it is a data stream that can be cataloged, kept track of and accessed.

Like a filing cabinet, Cumulus catalogs serve as storage locations for asset collections. You can have as many catalogs as you like. Catalogs are cross-platform compatible, so it doesn’t matter what type of computer is used to create a catalog. For more information, see “Catalogs”.

Collections are like snapshots from your open catalog(s). When you work with your assets in Cumulus, you’re viewing a constantly changing group of records. Without collections, each view of this group would be lost as soon as it is was changed. Collections, however, enable you to capture any particular set of records and save it as you see it - all without disrupting your workflow. Once you see something you like or could use again, save it as a collection and recall it whenever you need it. You can even send your collection as an attachment to an email message in one easy step.

A collection also acts as your temporary workspace in Cumulus, meaning that changes made to your collections do not affect the content of your catalogs. Even deleting a record from a collection does not remove it from the catalog (unless you really want it to, which you can do, too). For more information, see “Collections”.

Like folders in a filing cabinet, Cumulus categories serve to organize assets (files). But here the similarities end. Assets can appear in any number of Cumulus categories at the sametime. For more information, see “Categories”.

Records represent assets. Each record represents one asset. Records hold information on the asset, such as file size, type, location, creation date, and much more. Cumulus allows the creation of customizable record fields, which can contain almost any sort of information you desire. Since these user-defined record fields are also fully searchable, you can tailor Cumulus 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 represent assets. For more information, see “Assets/Records”.