Short answer
DAMSelection offers seven free DAM selection tools: the Shortlist Engine, the Five-year TCO Calculator, the Requirements Builder, the Demo Script Generator, the PIM and DAM Fit Map, the Rights Exposure Estimator and the Metadata Model Builder. Each tool serves at least one of the seven selection checkpoints. Results show on screen; six tools ask for a work email only before a file export.
Which tool to use at each checkpoint
The DAMSelection tools follow the seven checkpoints of the Selection Route, and every checkpoint has one primary tool and one supporting tool.
| Checkpoint | What the checkpoint decides | Primary tool | Supporting tool | Output to carry forward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Map | Library scale, rights position and connected systems | Rights Exposure Estimator | PIM and DAM Fit Map | Exposure estimate and a stack inventory |
| 2 Define | Prioritised requirements and the draft metadata schema | Requirements Builder | Metadata Model Builder | Requirements spreadsheet and schema JSON |
| 3 Justify | Five-year cost and risk baseline for the business case | Five-year TCO Calculator | Rights Exposure Estimator | Cost table per pricing archetype |
| 4 Shortlist | Segments and vendors that pass the filters | DAM Shortlist Engine | PIM and DAM Fit Map | Five-vendor shortlist with integration depth |
| 5 Test | Scripted scenarios on the buyer's own assets | Demo Script Generator | Metadata Model Builder | One script sent to every vendor |
| 6 Score | Pass criteria scored per scenario | Demo Script Generator | Requirements Builder | Scores of 0 to 5 per pass criterion |
| 7 Sign | Contract value on the five-year cost profile | Five-year TCO Calculator | Demo Script Generator | TCO rebuilt on real vendor quotes |
The Demo Script Generator supports Sign through its scenario "Export everything", which tests asset portability for the exit terms.
What each tool computes
Each DAMSelection tool runs one published method in the browser, and the tool page explains the formula with a worked example.
- DAM Shortlist Engine: 12 answers add weight to the five DAMSelection segments, and the two highest segments supply a five-vendor list.
- Five-year TCO Calculator: five years of licence, storage, egress, AI, staff and services for three pricing archetypes.
- Requirements Builder: 260 requirements in five domains of 52, each with a default MoSCoW priority you can change.
- Demo Script Generator: 12 scenarios with four vendor steps and three pass criteria each, plus a time budget of 25 minutes per scenario.
- PIM and DAM Fit Map: 30 DAM vendors against 7 PIM platforms on four integration depth levels, each cell with a source.
- Rights Exposure Estimator: published assets times licensed share times share past term times share without expiry metadata.
- Metadata Model Builder: 12 core fields plus 5 industry fields for one of six industries, each with a type and a rule.
How the tools connect
The DAMSelection tools pass numbers and lists to each other, so one tool's output becomes the next tool's input.
- Take asset count, average file size and growth from the content audit into the TCO Calculator and the Rights Exposure Estimator.
- Promote must-have requirements from the Requirements Builder into scenarios in the Demo Script Generator.
- Load the Metadata Model Builder schema into the scenario "Configure our metadata schema".
- Count every PIM pair at depth level 2 or 1 in the Fit Map as an integration build in the TCO Calculator.
- Replace the TCO example unit prices with the quotes the shortlisted vendors return.
DAMSelection assessment: the metadata model decides DAM success, so run the Metadata Model Builder before the first vendor demo. A schema drafted at Define gives every vendor the same fields to configure at Test.
How free use and exports work
The DAMSelection tools show every result on screen without registration, and a work email is requested only for a file download.
- Six tools offer a file export after a work email: CSV for the Shortlist Engine, TCO Calculator, Requirements Builder and Rights Exposure Estimator, plain text for the Demo Script Generator, and JSON for the Metadata Model Builder.
- The PIM and DAM Fit Map has no gate and no export. Every cell links straight to its source.
- No vendor pays for a place in any tool. The vendor data model holds no sponsorship field, as the neutrality policy sets out.
- The tools calculate in the browser and keep inputs only while the page stays open. A reload restores the example inputs.
Limits that apply to every tool
The DAMSelection tools produce planning outputs for a selection team, and none of them replaces a scripted demo, a vendor quote or legal advice.
- Example inputs and example unit prices come from no vendor. They demonstrate each method.
- The Shortlist Engine filters by segment. Within-segment ranking publishes after the scenario scores complete.
- The Fit Map records availability and maintenance of an integration. Data flow quality needs a test in the demo.
12 questions to five vendors from the best-fit segments.
Five-year cost by pricing archetype.
260 requirements with MoSCoW priorities.
Scripted scenarios with pass criteria.
30 DAM vendors against 7 PIM platforms.
Expired licence exposure estimate.
Starter schema by industry.
Frequently asked
Are the DAMSelection tools free?
All seven DAMSelection tools are free to use, and every result shows on screen without an account. Six tools ask for a work email before a file download, and the PIM and DAM Fit Map has no gate at all. No vendor pays for placement in any tool.
Which DAM tool should I start with?
Start with the Rights Exposure Estimator and the PIM and DAM Fit Map at Checkpoint 1, Map, because both use facts you already hold. Move to the Requirements Builder and the Metadata Model Builder at Define, then the TCO Calculator for the business case.
Can the DAM Shortlist Engine replace a vendor demo?
The DAM Shortlist Engine filters the market by segment and returns five vendors to examine. A scripted demo on your own assets decides the selection. Use the Demo Script Generator to send every shortlisted vendor the same script, then score the pass criteria.
How long does a DAM selection take with these tools?
The tools shorten the work inside each checkpoint and keep the sequence of seven checkpoints intact. The PIMvendors [six-week shortlist sprint](/dam/advisory/selection-sprint/) applies the same methods and takes a buyer from content audit to a scored shortlist of three vendors in six weeks. Negotiation and signature follow after the sprint.