Datasets overview

The Datasets tab allows you to gain a better understanding of the fields you have in your datasets.

In Axiom, an individual piece of data is an event, and a dataset is a collection of related events. Datasets contain incoming event data. The Datasets tab provides you with information about each field within your datasets.

Datasets overview

When you open the Datasets tab, you see the list of datasets.

Right-click a dataset to access the following options:

• Open dataset: Open the dataset in the Datasets tab.
• Open in Stream: Open the dataset in the Stream tab.
• Open in Query: Open the dataset in the Query tab.
• Edit dataset: Change the dataset description or data retention period.
• Copy dataset name: Copy the name of the dataset to your clipboard.
• Copy link to dataset: Copy a link to the dataset to your clipboard.
• Open in new tab: Open the dataset in a new browser tab.
• Delete dataset: Delete the dataset.

Explore datasets

To explore the fields in a dataset, select the dataset from the list.

When you select a dataset, Axiom displays the list of fields within the dataset on the left. The field types are the following:

• String
• Number
• Boolean
• Array
• Virtual fields

This view flattens field names with dot notation. This means that the event {"foo": { "bar": "baz" }} appears as foo.bar. Field names containing periods (.) are folded.

By default, when you ingest an event with a field that isn’t yet part of the dataset’s schema, Axiom adds the new field to the schema. To freeze the set of fields in an event dataset and the type of each field, lock its schema. For more information, see Lock dataset schema.

On the right, you see the following:

• Views
• Saved queries
• Query history

Explore metrics datasets

When you select a metrics dataset, Axiom displays the list of metrics in the dataset instead of a list of fields. Each row displays the type, the name, and the unit of the metric.

Axiom displays the unit of a metric in one of the following ways:

• Units without braces are standard UCUM units that Axiom recognizes and displays as readable labels. For example, a metric ingested with the unit By appears as bytes, and a metric ingested with the unit ms appears as milliseconds. The dimensionless unit 1 appears as dimensionless.
• Units in curly braces are values that Axiom doesn’t translate. These are UCUM annotations like {requests} or unit values that aren’t valid UCUM units. Axiom displays the value inside braces as it was ingested.
• Empty braces ({}) mean that unit information isn’t available for the metric. This happens when the metric was ingested without a unit or when the unit of the metric isn’t consistent within the selected time range.

Edit field

To edit a field:

1. Go to the Datasets tab.
2. Select the dataset that contains the field.
3. Find the field in the list, and then click it.
4. Edit the following:
   • Field description.
   • Field unit. This is only available for number field types.
   • Hidden. This means that the field is still present in the underlying Axiom database, but it doesn’t appear in the Axiom UI. Use this option if you sent the field to Axiom by mistake or you don’t want to use it anymore in Axiom.

Quick charts

Quick charts allow fast charting of fields depending on their field type. For example, for number fields, choose one of the following for easily visualizing the data:

• Percentiles
• Averages
• Histograms

Virtual fields

Virtual fields are powerful expressions that run on every event during a query to create new fields. The virtual fields are calculated from the events in the query using an APL expression. They’re similar to tools like derived columns in other products but super-charged with an expressive interpreter and with the flexibility to add, edit, or remove them at any time.

To manage a dataset’s virtual fields, click in the toolbar.

For more information, see Virtual fields.

Map fields

Map fields are a special type of field that can hold a collection of nested key-value pairs within a single field. You can think of the content of a map field as a JSON object. The Dataset tab enables you to create map fields, and view unused and removed map fields. For more information, see Map fields.

Views

Views allow you to apply commonly used filters and transformations to your dataset. The result is a view that you can use similarly to how you use datasets. The concept of a view in Axiom is similar to the concept of a virtual table in a database.

For more information, see Views.

Queries

Every query has a unique ID that you can save and share with your team members. The Datasets tab allows you to do the following:

• Save a query so that you and your team members can easily find it in the future.
• Browse previous queries and find a past query.

Saved queries

To find and run previously saved queries:

1. Select a dataset.
2. Optional: In the top right of the Saved queries section, select whether to display your queries or all queries saved by members of your organization, including queries you saved.
3. Find the query in the list, and then click it to run the query.

Saved queries are automatically visible to all members of your Axiom organization.

Query history

To find and run recent queries:

1. Select a dataset.
2. Optional: In the top right of the Query history section, select whether to display your queries or your team’s queries.
3. Find the query in the list, and then click it to run the query.