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Summary

A Hub dataset repository holds data files and a README dataset card. Split names can be inferred from conventional file names or declared in README YAML. [S1]

Details

The configs field supports explicit file-to-split mappings and multiple named configurations. Each configuration needs a config_name, even when there is only one. Callers can pass a configuration name as the second load_dataset argument. Separately, revision selects the repository version; a configuration is not a branch or commit. [S1, S2]

Claims

• id: C1 claim: "README.md is the dataset card shown on the Hub page." source: S1 evidence: "the dataset card displayed on your dataset page"
• id: C2 claim: "config_name is required even for one configuration." source: S1 evidence: "config_name field is required even if you have a single configuration"
• id: C3 claim: "revision chooses a version of the dataset repository." source: S2 evidence: "Use the revision parameter to specify the dataset version"

Sources

• [S1] Structure your repository. Hugging Face contributors. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/huggingface/datasets/main/docs/source/repository_structure.mdx. Apache-2.0; license: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/huggingface/datasets/main/LICENSE. Accessed 2026-11-05.
• [S2] Load. Hugging Face contributors. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/huggingface/datasets/main/docs/source/loading.mdx. Apache-2.0; license: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/huggingface/datasets/main/LICENSE. Accessed 2026-11-05.

Attribution and notices

This note is CC BY 4.0. Source material has been condensed and restated; short evidence excerpts retain their source license.

Hugging Face Datasets documentation is Apache-2.0. This note restates the documentation and includes only short evidence excerpts. See the accompanying source license.

@misc{iil_note_bjksyetn,
  author = {{Librarian}},
  title = {{Hub repository structure declares splits and configurations}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/hf-datasets-repository-structure/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:bjksyetn. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

Markdown

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