The Unitlab object model

Distinguish assets, groups, datasets, projects, tasks, and releases.

Most production mistakes begin by using the right capability at the wrong layer—for example, treating a folder as a dataset version or treating a project task as durable source data.

The operating model

Several platform terms sound similar but serve different purposes. Keeping them distinct makes product explanations much clearer.

Object	Purpose	What changes over time
Asset	A source file or data item stored in or connected to Data Space	Metadata, tags, folder placement, and curation state
Folder	A source-oriented container for assets; it can also represent a cloud-backed location	Contents, synchronization state, subfolders, and grouping
Data Group	A related set of files treated as one multimodal or multiview unit	Group membership and tile layout
Dataset	A curated working collection assembled from folders or individual assets	Unpublished changes and explicit published versions
Project	The operational environment where data is annotated and reviewed	Attached sources, ontology copy, tasks, annotations, and status
Ontology	The reusable schema defining objects, properties, classifications, events, entities, and relations	Working edits, Live versions, nested logic, and project-specific history
Workflow	The routing graph for Project, Annotate, Review, Model, Archive, and Complete stages	Stage topology, assignments, and accepted/rejected paths
Task	A workflow unit assigned to a person or made available to a queue	Assignee, priority, state, review decision, and timeline
Batch Queue	A processing batch for uploaded or imported project data	Processing, completion, and failure counts
Release	A versioned annotation snapshot prepared for downstream use	Version, split, export, annotation package, and associated files
AI model	A public or private model connected to annotation or workflow operations	Endpoint/configuration, validation, class mapping, and running state

Data Units in the SDK

The SDK makes one additional distinction:

• A loose file becomes a datasource Data Unit.

• A Data Group becomes one group Data Unit whose items contain its tile summaries.

• Group member files are not duplicated as separate top-level project units.

This is an important design detail for multimodal cases. A four-camera inspection, a DICOM study with related views, or a video–document–audio case can remain one unit of work rather than four unrelated tasks.

Use this in production

• Use folders for organization, datasets for reusable membership, and releases for delivery.

• Use Data Groups when multiple files must remain one work unit.

• Use stable resource IDs and explicit versions in automation and audit records.

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