Hi Andy,
Welcome back.
Haven't seen you on the Survey Thread for ages.
Yes, Metadata is nothing new, but it does have the advantage, that
the information stays embedded in the File and so can't get lost
or separated, at least accidently.
Of course, any File can have its Metadata edited, Pdf's and Video Files
included, so it is very useful.
Although, there is always a place for a Spreadsheet for the wider picture! (No pun intended
).
For the Survey, I currently run two different Excel spreadsheets for testing,
and an Access Database where the Final Data is stored and Reports are run.
Ian