# Introduction to Data Management

In ModelArts, you can import and label data on the Data Management page to prepare for model building. ModelArts uses datasets as the basis for model development or training.

#### Dataset Types

ModelArts supports datasets of images, audio, text, and other types for the following purposes:

- Images
  - Image classification: identifies a class of objects in images.
  - Object detection: identifies the position and class of each object in an image.
  - Image segmentation: identifies the outline of each object in an image.
- Audio
  - Sound classification: classifies and identifies different sounds.
  - Speech labeling: labels speech content.
  - Speech paragraph labeling: segments and labels speech content.
- Text
  - Text classification: assigns labels to text according to its content.
  - Named entity recognition: assigns labels to named entities in text, such as time and locations.
  - Text triplet: assigns labels to entity segments and entity relationships in the text.
- Others
  - Free format: manages data in any format. Labeling is not available for data of the free format type. The free format type is applicable to scenarios where labeling is not required or developers customize labeling. If your dataset needs to contain data in multiple formats or your data format does not meet the requirements of other types of datasets, you can select a dataset in free format.
    Figure 1 Example of a dataset in free format

#### Dataset Management Process and Functions

Table 1 Function description
Function | Description
--- | ---
Creating a Dataset | Create a dataset.
Image Classification Object Detection Text Classification Named Entity Recognition Text Triplet Sound Classification Speech Labeling Speech Paragraph Labeling | Label data based on the types of datasets. Data labeling is not supported for datasets in free format.
Import Operation | Import the local manifest file or data stored in OBS to the dataset.
Exporting Data | Export part of the data as a new dataset or to OBS. Historical tasks can be viewed and managed.
Modifying a Dataset | Modify the basic information about a dataset, such as the dataset name, description, and labels.
Publishing a Dataset | Publish the labeled dataset as a new version for model building.
Managing Dataset Versions | View data version updates.
Deleting a Dataset | Delete a dataset to release resources.

#### Functions Supported by Different Types of Datasets

Different types of datasets support different functions. For details, see Table 2.

Table 2 Functions supported by different types of datasets
Dataset Type | Creating a Dataset | Importing Data | Exporting Data | Publishing a Dataset | Modifying a Dataset | Managing Dataset Versions
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Image classification | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported
Object detection | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported
Sound classification | Supported | Supported | - | Supported | Supported | Supported
Speech labeling | Supported | Supported | - | Supported | Supported | Supported
Speech paragraph labeling | Supported | Supported | - | Supported | Supported | Supported
Text classification | Supported | Supported | - | Supported | Supported | Supported
Named entity recognition | Supported | Supported | - | Supported | Supported | Supported
Text triplet | Supported | Supported | - | Supported | Supported | Supported
Free format | Supported | - | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported

Parent topic: Data Management