Determining the Number of Datasets to Create
A dataset is a way to group your users within LiveRamp. In many cases, you only need to have one dataset. However, in some situations you might need, or want, to have more than one dataset created.
Caution
In most cases, you should have a new dataset created by our support team by creating a case in the LiveRamp Community portal. This way they can ensure that the file columns are mapped appropriately, the dataset key is correct, the appropriate precision level is selected, and the desired refresh type is enabled. In the less common instance where you're creating a second dataset where the files are going to all use the same settings as the current one (column mapping, dataset key, precision level, refresh types, etc.), you can create the new dataset yourself if you wish.
Benefits of Using a Single Dataset
Using only one dataset, if that's possible for your situation, has several benefits:
Makes it easier to manage your data in Connect.
Simplifies consolidation of records and billing: LiveRamp can only de-duplicate records within a particular dataset. LiveRamp cannot de-duplicate records across multiple datasets. Using multiple datasets might result in being billed for the same record more than once (depending on your contract terms).
Avoids having to upload a particular file multiple times if the same data needs to be used in different datasets.
Situations That Might Require Additional Datasets
In general, determine the number of datasets to use based on what makes it easiest to manage your data and based on the type of identifiers you’ll be uploading (PII identifiers vs. device identifiers).
LiveRamp also has some recommended dataset limits to keep in mind that might affect the number of audiences you need.
See the sections below for more information.
Data Management Issues
If your company operates multiple brands, you might choose to use one dataset per brand so that you can more easily manage your data. This ensures that LiveRamp tracks your unique records individually per brand, so that data from different brands doesn't conflict.
Different Dataset Keys
Another reason you might need to create an additional dataset is that you want to upload a file that contains a different type of identifier as the dataset key than the file you used initially for a given dataset. Because LiveRamp creates a data mapping for each dataset based on the original file uploaded, including which field to use as a dataset key for the deduplication of records, all subsequent files uploaded for that dataset need to use the same dataset key and types of identifiers.
For example, maybe you initially uploaded some files with only email addresses as the identifiers, but now you have new files with only name and postal addresses (NAP) as the identifiers. You'd need to create a new dataset for the files keyed off of NAP.
Note
This situation would not require multiple datasets if all your files had both email address and name and postal addresses fields.
Different Identifier Types
If you initially uploaded a file containing PII identifiers, you’d need to create an additional dataset to use to upload data containing device identifiers.
Exceeding Recommended Dataset Limits
You might have too many records or segment data fields to stay within our recommended dataset limits, and so you might need to have additional datasets created to account for those limits.