Getting Started with DataCovey

This tutorial will guide you through the essential steps to get started with DataCovey: creating a project, adding datasets and tables, configuring privacy settings, running queries, and collaborating with other organizations.

Prerequisites

A DataCovey account with appropriate permissions
Access to the DataCovey web interface
Basic understanding of SQL queries (for the query section)

Step 1: Create a Project

A project is a workspace where you organize your datasets, tables, and queries. All data within a project belongs to your tenant.

Navigate to the Projects page in the DataCovey interface
Click the "Create Project" button
Fill in the project details:
- Name: Enter a descriptive name for your project (minimum 4 characters)
- Description: Optionally add a description to help others understand the project's purpose
Click "Save" to create the project

Once created, you'll see your project in the projects list. Each project has a unique ID that you can use to reference it.

Step 2: Add a Dataset

A dataset is a collection of related tables within a project. It serves as a logical grouping for organizing your data.

Navigate to your project's detail page
Click the "Create Dataset" button
Fill in the dataset details:
- Project: Select the project where this dataset will be created (pre-filled if you're already in a project)
- Name: Enter a name for your dataset (minimum 4 characters)
- Description: Optionally add a description
Click "Save" to create the dataset

The dataset will now appear in your project's dataset list.

Step 3: Add a Table

Tables store your structured data. Each table belongs to a dataset and requires a schema definition that describes its structure.

Navigate to your dataset's detail page
Click the "Create Table" button
Fill in the table details:
- Dataset: Select the dataset where this table will be created (pre-filled if you're already in a dataset)
- Name: Enter a name for your table (minimum 4 characters)
- Schema: Define your table schema as a JSON array

Schema Definition

The schema is a JSON array where each element describes a column in your table. Here's an example:

[
  {
    "name": "user_id",
    "type": "STRING",
    "mode": "REQUIRED",
    "description": "Unique identifier for the user"
  },
  {
    "name": "email",
    "type": "STRING",
    "mode": "REQUIRED",
    "description": "User email address"
  },
  {
    "name": "transaction_amount",
    "type": "NUMERIC",
    "mode": "NULLABLE",
    "description": "Amount of the transaction"
  }
]

Each column object can include:

name: Column name (required)
type: Data type (required) - see Schema Specification for supported types
mode: NULLABLE, REQUIRED, or REPEATED (optional, defaults to NULLABLE)
description: Human-readable description (optional)
defaultValueExpression: Default value for the column (optional)
private: Boolean to mark column as private (optional, defaults to false)

Click "Save" to create the table

Step 4: Mark Columns as Private

Private columns are only visible to users from your tenant. Other tenants can use private columns in computations but cannot see the actual values. This is useful for sensitive data like credit card tokens, personal identifiers, or proprietary information.

To mark a column as private, add "private": true to the column definition in your schema:

[
  {
    "name": "user_id",
    "type": "STRING",
    "mode": "REQUIRED",
    "description": "Unique identifier for the user"
  },
  {
    "name": "credit_card_token",
    "type": "STRING",
    "mode": "REQUIRED",
    "private": true,
    "description": "Tokenized credit card number - only visible to tenant"
  },
  {
    "name": "transaction_amount",
    "type": "NUMERIC",
    "mode": "NULLABLE",
    "description": "Amount of the transaction"
  }
]

Important: The privacy setting cannot be changed after table creation, so plan your schema carefully.

Step 5: View Schema Definitions

After creating a table, you can view its schema definition at any time:

Navigate to the Tables page
Click on the table you want to view
Scroll to the "Schema" section on the table detail page

The schema section displays:

Field Name: The name of each column
Type: The data type (STRING, NUMERIC, INT64, etc.)
Mode: Whether the column is NULLABLE, REQUIRED, or REPEATED
Attributes: Special attributes like privacy settings (indicated by a lock icon for private columns)

You can also edit the table to add new columns or update descriptions, but remember that many schema changes are restricted after creation (see Schema Specification for details).

Step 6: Run Queries

Queries allow you to retrieve and process data from tables within your project using SQL-like syntax.

Navigate to your project's detail page
Click the "Create Query" button
Fill in the query details:
- Project: Select the project (pre-filled if you're already in a project)
- Query: Enter your SQL query

Query Examples

Simple SELECT query:

SELECT user_id, email, transaction_amount
FROM my_dataset.my_table
WHERE transaction_amount > 100

Query with JOIN:

SELECT u.user_id, u.email, t.transaction_amount
FROM my_dataset.users u
JOIN my_dataset.transactions t ON u.user_id = t.user_id
WHERE t.transaction_amount > 100

Query with private columns: When you query tables that contain private columns, those columns are only visible to users from your tenant. Other tenants can use private columns in computations but won't see the actual values.

Click "Run Query" or "Save" to execute the query

The query results will be displayed in a table format. You can export the results if needed.

Step 7: Invite Other Tenants to Collaborate

DataCovey allows you to collaborate with other organizations (tenants) on projects. This enables cross-tenant data sharing while maintaining privacy controls.

For Organization Admins

To invite another organization to collaborate on your project:

Navigate to the project you want to share
Click "Invite Tenant to Project" (this option is only available to Org Admins)
Enter the Tenant ID of the organization you want to invite
- You can find your own Tenant ID in the "Tenant Information" tab
- The organization you're inviting should share their Tenant ID with you
Click "Send Invitation"

The organization's admins will receive an email notification about the invitation. They can then approve or reject the request through their admin panel.

Finding Your Tenant ID

To share your Tenant ID with others:

Navigate to the "Tenant Information" tab in the admin panel
Your Tenant ID is displayed prominently
Use the copy button to copy the ID
Share this ID with external partners who want to invite your organization

Approval Process

When you invite another tenant:

The invitation creates an approval request
Admins from the invited organization receive email notifications
They can approve or reject the request through their admin panel
Once approved, both organizations can collaborate on the shared project

Security Best Practices

Only share your Tenant ID with trusted organizations
Review all collaboration requests carefully before approving
Monitor your admin panel regularly for new requests
Remember that private columns remain private to the data owner even in shared projects

Next Steps

Now that you've completed the basics, you can:

Explore the Schema Specification to learn about all supported data types and schema constraints
Read the Approvals Guide for detailed information about the collaboration approval workflow
Check out the Concepts page to understand DataCovey's data model and relationships
Learn about Agent Gateway if you want to integrate AI agents with your data

Summary

In this tutorial, you learned how to:

✅ Create a project to organize your data
✅ Add datasets to group related tables
✅ Create tables with schema definitions
✅ Mark sensitive columns as private
✅ View schema definitions for your tables
✅ Run SQL queries on your data
✅ Invite other organizations to collaborate on projects

You're now ready to start using DataCovey to manage and share your data securely!

Prerequisites​

Step 1: Create a Project​

Step 2: Add a Dataset​

Step 3: Add a Table​

Schema Definition​

Step 4: Mark Columns as Private​

Step 5: View Schema Definitions​

Step 6: Run Queries​

Query Examples​

Step 7: Invite Other Tenants to Collaborate​

For Organization Admins​

Finding Your Tenant ID​

Approval Process​

Security Best Practices​

Next Steps​

Summary​