Datasets UI guide

This user guide provides instructions on performing common actions when working with datasets within Adobe Experience Platform user interface.

Getting started

This user guide requires a working understanding of the following components of Adobe Experience Platform:

  • Datasets: The storage and management construct for data persistence in Experience Platform.

  • Experience Data Model (XDM) System: The standardized framework by which Experience Platform organizes customer experience data.

    • Basics of schema composition: Learn about the basic building blocks of XDM schemas, including key principles and best practices in schema composition.
    • Schema Editor: Learn how to build your own custom XDM schemas using the Schema Editor within the Platform user interface.
  • Real-Time Customer Profile: Provides a unified, real-time consumer profile based on aggregated data from multiple sources.

  • Adobe Experience Platform Data Governance: Ensure compliancy with regulations, restrictions, and policies regarding the usage of customer data.

View datasets view-datasets

In the Experience Platform UI, select Datasets in the left-navigation to open the Datasets dashboard. The dashboard lists all available datasets for your organization. Details are displayed for each listed dataset, including its name, the schema the dataset adheres to, and status of the most recent ingestion run.

An image that highlights the Datasets item within the left navigation bar.

Select the name of a dataset from the Browse tab to access its Dataset activity screen and see details of the dataset you selected. The activity tab includes a graph visualizing the rate of messages being consumed as well as a list of successful and failed batches.

Details of your selected dataset are highlighted.
Sample batches that belong to your selected dataset are highlighted.

Inline dataset actions inline-actions

The datasets UI now offers a collections of inline actions for each available dataset. Select the ellipsis (…) of a dataset that you want to manage to see the available options in a pop-up menu. The available actions include; Preview dataset, Manage data and access labels, Enable unified profile, Manage tags, Move to folders, and Delete. More information on these available actions can be found in their respective sections.

Add dataset tags add-tags

Add custom created tags to organize datasets and improve search, filtering, and sorting capabilities. From the Browse tab of the Datasets workspace, select the ellipsis of a dataset that you want to manage followed by Manage tags from the dropdown menu.

The Browse tab of the Datasets workspace with the ellipsis and Manage tags option highlighted for the chosen dataset.

The Manage tags dialog appears. Enter a short description to create a custom tag, or choose from a pre-existing tag to label your dataset. Select Save to confirm your settings.

The Manage tags dialog with custom tags highlighted.

The Manage tags dialog can also remove existing tags from a dataset. Simply select the ‘x’ next to the tag you wish to remove and select Save.

Once a tag has been aded to a dataset, the datasets can be filtered based on the corresponding tag. See the section on how to filter datasets by tags for more information.

For more information on how to classify business objects for easier discovery and categorization, see the guide on managing metadata taxonomies. This guide details how a user with appropriate permissions can create pre-defined tags, assigning categories to tags, and perform all related CRUD operations on tags and tag categories in the Platform UI.

Search and filter datasets search-and-filter

To search or filter the list of available datasets, select the filter icon ( The filter icon. ) at the top left of the workspace. A set of filter options in the left rail appears. There are several methods to filter your available datasets. These include: Show System Datasets, Included in profile, Tags, Creation date, Modified date, Created by, and Schema.

The list of applied filters is displayed above the filtered results.

The Browse tab of the Datasets workspace with the list of applied filters highlighted.

Show system datasets show-system-datasets

By default, only datasets that you have ingested data into are shown. If you want to see the system-generated datasets, select the Yes checkbox in the Show system datasets section. System-generated datasets are only used to process other components. For example, the system-generated profile export dataset is used to process the profile dashboard.

The filter options of the Datasets workspace with the Show system datasets section highlighted.

Filter Profile enabled datasets filter-profile-enabled-datasets

The datasets that have been enabled for Profile data are used to populate customer profiles after data has been ingested. See the section on enabling datasets for Profile to learn more.

To filter your dataset based on whether they have been enabled for Profile, select the Yes check box from the filter options.

The filter options of the Datasets workspace with the Included in Profile section highlighted.

Filter datasets by tag filter-by-tag

Enter your custom tag name in the Tags input, then select your tag from the list of available options to search and filter datasets that correspond to that tag.

The filter options of the Datasets workspace with the Tags input and filter icon highlighted.

Filter datasets by creation date filter-by-creation-date

Datasets can be filtered by creation date over a custom time period. This can be used to exclude historic data or to generate specific chronological data insights and reporting. Choose a Start date and an End date by selecting the calendar icon for each field. After which, only datasets that conform to that criteria will appear in the Browse tab.

Filter datasets by modified date filter-by-modified-date

Similar to the filter for creation date, you can filter your datasets based on the date they were last modified. In the Modified date section, Choose a Start date and an End date by selecting the calendar icon for each field. After which, only datasets that were modified during that period will appear in the Browse tab.

Filter by schema filter-by-schema

You can filter datasets based on the schema that defines their structure. Either select the dropdown icon or input the schema name into the text field. A list of potential matches appears. Select the appropriate schema from the list.

Sort datasets by created date sort

Datasets in the Browse tab can be sorted by either ascending or descending dates. Select the Created or Last updated column headings to alternate between ascending and descending. Once selected, the column indicates this with either an up or down arrow to the side of the column header.

The Browse tab of the Datasets workspace with the Created and Last updated column highlighted.

Preview a dataset preview

You can preview dataset sample data from both the inline options of the Browse tab and also the Dataset activity view. From the Browse tab, select the ellipses (…) next to the dataset name you wish to preview. A menu list of options appears. Next, select Preview dataset from the list of available options. If the dataset is empty, the preview link will be deactivated and will instead say that the preview is not available.

The Browse tab of the Datasets workspace with the ellipsis and Preview dataset option highlighted for the chosen dataset.

This opens the preview window, where the hierarchical view of the schema for the dataset is shown on the right.

The dataset preview dialog with information about the structure, as well as sample values, for the dataset are shown.

Alternatively, from the Dataset activity screen, select Preview dataset near the top-right corner of your screen to preview up to 100 rows of data.

The Preview dataset button is highlighted.

For more robust methods to access your data, Experience Platform provides downstream services such as Query Service and JupyterLab to explore and analyze data. See the following documents for more information:

Create a dataset create

To create a new dataset, start by selecting Create dataset in the Datasets dashboard.

The Create dataset button is highlighted.

In the next screen, you are presented with the following two options for creating a new dataset:

Create a dataset with an existing schema schema

In the Create dataset screen, select Create dataset from schema to create a new empty dataset.

The Create dataset from schema button is highlighted.

The Select schema step appears. Browse the schema listing and select the schema that the dataset will adhere to before selecting Next.

A list of schemas is shown. The schema that will be used to create the dataset is highlighted.

The Configure dataset step appears. Provide the dataset with a name and optional description, then select Finish to create the dataset.

Configuration details of the dataset are inserted. This includes details such as the dataset name and description.

Datasets can be filtered from the list of available datasets in the UI with the schema filter. See the section on how to filter datasets by schema for more information.

Create a dataset with a CSV file csv

When a dataset is created using a CSV file, an ad hoc schema is created to provide the dataset with a structure that matches the provided CSV file. In the Create dataset screen, select Create dataset from CSV file.

The Create dataset from CSV file button is highlighted.

The Configure step appears. Provide the dataset with a name and optional description, then select Next.

Configuration details of the dataset are inserted. This includes details such as the dataset name and description.

The Add data step appears. Upload the CSV file by either dragging and dropping it onto the center of your screen, or select Browse to explore your file directory. The file can be up to ten gigabytes in size. Once the CSV file is uploaded, select Save to create the dataset.

NOTE
CSV column names must start with alphanumeric characters, and can contain only letters, numbers, and underscores.

The Add data screen is displayed. The location where you can upload the CSV file for the dataset is highlighted.

Enable a dataset for Real-Time Customer Profile enable-profile

Every dataset has the ability to enrich customer profiles with its ingested data. To do so, the schema that the dataset adheres to must be compatible for use in Real-Time Customer Profile. A compatible schema satisfies the following requirements:

  • The schema has at least one attribute specified as an identity property.
  • The schema has an identity property defined as the primary identity.

For more information on enabling a schema for Profile, see the Schema Editor user guide.

You can enable a dataset for Profile from both the inline options of the Browse tab and also the Dataset activity view. From the Browse tab of the Datasets workspace, select the ellipsis of a dataset that you want to enable for Profile. A menu list of options appears. Next, select Enable unified profile from the list of available options.

The Browse tab of the Datasets workspace with the ellipses and Enable unified profile highlighted.

Alternatively, from the dataset’s Dataset activity screen, select the Profile toggle within the Properties column. Once enabled, data that is ingested into the dataset will also be used to populate customer profiles.

NOTE
If a dataset already contains data and is then enabled for Profile, the existing data is not automatically consumed by Profile. After a dataset is enabled for Profile, it is recommended that you re-ingest any existing data to have it contribute to customer profiles.

The Profile toggle is highlighted within the dataset details page.

Datasets that have been enabled for Profile can also be filtered on this criteria. See the section on how to filter Profile enabled datasets for more information.

Manage and enforce data governance on a dataset manage-and-enforce-data-governance

You can manage the data governance labels for a dataset by selecting the inline options of the Browse tab. Select the ellipses (…) next to the dataset name you wish to manage, followed by Manage data and access labels from the dropdown menu.

Data usage labels, applied at the schema level, allow you to categorize datasets and fields according to usage policies that apply to that data. See the Data Governance overview to learn more about labels, or refer to the data usage labels user guide for instructions on how to apply labels to schemas for propagation to datasets.

Move to folders move-to-folders

You can place datasets within folders for better dataset management. To move a dataset into a folder, select the ellipses (…) next to the dataset name you wish to manage, followed by Move to folder from the dropdown menu.

The Datasets dashboard with the ellipses and Move to folder highlighted.

The Move dataset to folder dialog appears. Select the folder you want to move the audience to, then select Move. A popup notification informs you that the dataset move has been successful.

The Move dataset dialog with Move highlighted.

TIP
You can also create folders directly from the Move dataset dialog. To create a folder, select the create folder icon ( The create folder icon. ) in the top right of the dialog.
The Move dataset dialog with the create folder icon highlighted.

Once the dataset is in a folder, you can choose to only display datasets that belong to a specific folder. To open your folder structure, select the show folders icon ( The show folders icon ). Next, select your chosen folder to see all associated datasets.

The Datasets dashboards with the datasets folder structure displayed, the show folders icon, and a selected folder highlighted.

Delete a dataset delete

You can delete a dataset from either the dataset inline actions in the Browse tab or the top right of the Dataset activity view. From the Browse view, select the ellipses (…) next to the dataset name you wish to delete. A menu list of options appears. Next, select Delete from the dropdown menu.

The Browse tab of the Datasets workspace with the ellipsis and the Delete option highlighted for the chosen dataset.

A confirmation dialog appears. Select Delete to confirm.

Alternatively, select Delete dataset from the Dataset activity screen.

NOTE
Datasets created and utilized by Adobe applications and services (such as Adobe Analytics, Adobe Audience Manager, or Offer Decisioning) cannot be deleted.

The Delete dataset button is highlighted within the dataset details page.

A confirmation box appears. Select Delete to confirm the deletion of the dataset.

The confirmation modal for deletion is displayed, with the Delete button highlighted.

Delete a Profile-enabled dataset

If a dataset is enabled for Profile, deleting that dataset through the UI will delete it from data lake, Identity Service, and the Profile store within Platform.

You can delete a dataset from the Profile store only (leaving the data in the Data Lake) using the Real-Time Customer Profile API. For more information, see the profile system jobs API endpoint guide.

Monitor data ingestion

In the Experience Platform UI, select Monitoring in the left-navigation. The Monitoring dashboard lets you view the statuses of inbound data from either batch or streaming ingestion. To view the statuses of individual batches, select either Batch end-to-end or Streaming end-to-end. The dashboards list all batch or streaming ingestion runs, including those that are successful, failed, or still in progress. Each listing provides details of the batch, including the batch ID, the name of the target dataset, and the number of records ingested. If the target dataset is enabled for Profile, the number of ingested identity and profile records is also displayed.

The monitoring batch end-to-end screen is shown. Both monitoring and batch-to-batch are highlighted.

You can select on an individual Batch ID to access the Batch overview dashboard and see details for the batch, including error logs should the batch fail to ingest.

Details of the selected batch are displayed. This includes the number of records ingested, the number of records failed, the batch status, the file size, the ingestion start and end times, the dataset and batch IDs, the organization ID, the dataset name, and the access information.

If you wish to delete the batch, select Delete batch near the top right of the dashboard. Deleting a batch also removes its records from the dataset that the batch was originally ingested to.

NOTE
If the ingested data has been enabled for Profile and processed, then deleting a batch does not delete that data from the Profile Store.

The Delete batch button is highlighted on the dataset details page.

Next steps

This user guide provided instructions for performing common actions when working with datasets in the Experience Platform user interface. For steps on performing common Platform workflows involving datasets, please refer to the following tutorials:

recommendation-more-help
c5c02be6-79a3-4a2f-b766-136bffe8b676