Chapter 1
1. What Vault is
Vault is a desktop backup and offline browser for Iconik metadata. You choose a backup folder, connect an Iconik account, and start the first backup. Later syncs copy changes into that local library.
1.1 What your copy contains
Vault copies the assets that the connected Iconik user can read. The user's roles and access rules determine the available records.
| Information | Kept in your copy |
|---|---|
| Asset information | Names, identifiers, types, status, and dates |
| Custom metadata | Fields and values available to the connected user |
| Organization | Collections and their asset relationships |
| Media records | Versions, formats, file groups, file information, and markers |
| Preview images | Locally cached images for browsing |
| Deleted assets | Existing local records, marked as no longer in Iconik |
Vault stores metadata in the open OASIS schema. It also keeps the original Iconik metadata responses alongside those records. Your chosen folder holds the database and preview images. See File locations.
Vault does not copy original media files or restore them to Iconik. Keep your media backup process in place. The file paths shown in Library describe recorded media locations, not downloaded media.
1.2 Working offline
Library reads your local copy. You can search, filter, and inspect copied asset details without reaching Iconik. Preview images must already have been copied to be available offline.
The backup folder must stay connected and readable. If that drive is unavailable, Vault cannot read the copy stored there.
Offline results reflect the last data copied, not later changes in Iconik. Open asset in Iconik opens the online service and needs internet access and an Iconik sign-in.
1.3 Vault and Control Room
Control Room installs, licenses, opens, and updates Vault. Vault runs as a desktop window. It has no background service.
Keep the Vault window open for automatic syncing. Closing Vault stops scheduled checks but preserves your local copy. Closing Control Room does not close an already running Vault window.
1.4 Account access and safety
One installation connects to one Iconik account at a time. Browser approval creates a separate Iconik application for that installation. Vault requests asset and collection read access. Your Iconik user must have permission to create an application.
Metadata backups read Iconik without changing its assets or collections. Connection setup creates an authorization application in Iconik. Vault stores its connection secret encrypted on the computer.
The backup belongs to the computer and can be used by other local accounts with storage access. Choose a folder that the intended users can reach. Protect that folder according to your organization's metadata access policy.
Disconnecting or quitting preserves the backup. Disconnecting returns Vault to setup and hides Library until you connect the same tenant and user again. Keep the saved connection in place when you need offline browsing. Deleting it requires the separate Delete local copy confirmation.