filedataset

Filedataset is a term used in data management to describe a dataset whose elements are individual files located in a file system or object store. It provides a unified view over a collection of files, enabling batch or streaming processing without loading all content into memory.

Data model: a filedataset exposes a sequence of records, each representing a file with fields such as path or URI, size, last_modified, mime_type, and optional user metadata. The actual file contents may be loaded lazily as needed, or accessed in streaming fashion.

Backends and storage: filedatasets can be backed by local disks, network file systems, or cloud storage services (for example, S3 or GCS). Enumeration can be driven by directory scans, glob patterns, or manifests that list file entries.

Processing patterns: filedatasets are commonly consumed by data processing frameworks for batch ETL or machine learning pipelines. Typical operations include filtering by path or metadata, partitioning by directory structure, and reading files in parallel.

Advantages and challenges: advantages include simplicity, compatibility with existing file stores, and natural fit for multi-file corpora. Drawbacks include IO overhead from large numbers of small files, heterogeneous file formats, and the need for consistent metadata and access control across the dataset.

See also: dataset, file system, object storage, data lake, data pipeline.