--- type: Guide title: Managing data in the MESA Portal description: Browse, upload, organise, share, and describe your CyVerse Data Store files with the MESA Portal Data Browser. tags: - portal - data-browser - data-store - sharing - metadata - avu generated: by: "claude-code/2.1.294" at: "2026-10-08T00:00:00Z" sources: - id: portal resource: "https://mesa.cyverse.org/data/" title: "MESA Portal Data Browser" author: "team:idss-mesa" - id: portal-docs resource: "https://mesa.cyverse.org/docs/" title: "MESA Portal documentation (Data Browser user guide)" author: "team:idss-mesa" - id: cyverse-data-store resource: "https://learning.cyverse.org/ds/" title: "CyVerse Data Store documentation" author: "team:cyverse" status: stable stale_after: "2027-04-08T00:00:00Z" --- # Managing data The **Data Browser** () is the portal's window on the CyVerse Data Store[^portal]. Use it to browse your files and MESA's shared datasets, upload and organise files, share them with collaborators, and read or edit their metadata. ![The Data Browser showing a folder in My Files as cards, with the folder header above](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/assets/portal/data-my-files.webp) ## Open the Data Browser Click **Data Browser** in the sidebar. Signed in, it opens your home folder (`/iplant/home/`); signed out, it opens the MESA community data. ## Choose where to look The row of buttons under the header switches between five places: | View | What it shows | Who sees it | |---|---|---| | **My Files** | Your Data Store home folder, `/iplant/home/` | Signed-in users | | **Shared** | The CyVerse community project tree, `/iplant/home/shared` | Signed-in users | | **User Shared** | One folder per person who has shared something with you or with a group you belong to | Signed-in users | | **Community** | The MESA community folder, `/iplant/home/shared/mesa` | Everyone | | **Public** | Public CyVerse data collections, read only | Everyone | ![The MESA Community folder as a signed-out visitor sees it: read only, with Community and Public views](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/assets/portal/data-community.webp) ![User Shared lists one folder for each person who has shared data with you](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/assets/portal/data-user-shared.webp) **User Shared** names people, not folders: open a person to see what they let you open. It is the same list as *Shared With Me* in the Discovery Environment. The list is refreshed every few minutes, so something shared a moment ago can take a little while to appear. ## Read the folder header The dark band at the top describes the folder you are in: - **Trail and name**: the path from the view's starting folder. Click any part to jump back to it, or drag a file onto a part to move the file there. - **Counts**: folders, files, and total size. - **Path**: the full Data Store path, with a copy button. Paste it into iCommands, GoCommands, or an AI agent using the [MESA MCP servers](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/servers/). - **AVUs**: the folder's own metadata, with a count (see [Metadata](#describe-data-with-metadata-avus)). - **Share**: share the folder itself (shown when you own it). - **Ownership and access**: whose folder it is, your permission (**Owner**, **Can edit**, or **Read only**), and how many others can open it (**Shared · N** or **Private**). - **Relationship chips**, when they apply: **DuckLake** (the folder belongs to a MESA DuckLake project), **DOI** (a DOI was minted for it or a parent), DataCite relations such as **Part of** or **Derived from**, the **Working group** or **Team** it belongs to, and **Analysis output** for folders under your `analyses` folder. **+N more** shows the rest. ## Browse and find files - Click a folder's name to open it. Each file card shows its size, type, and buttons: **View** (open it in the built-in viewer), download, and open in a new tab. - Switch between **cards** and a **list** with the two buttons at the right. - Sort with the **Name A–Z** menu (name or date, either way). - **Hidden** shows dot-files; the portal may ask you to sign in again first. - Large folders are split into pages; use **Next**, **Previous**, and **Per page** at the bottom. ![The Data Browser in list view](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/assets/portal/data-list-view.webp) ### Search Type in the **Search files and folders** box to find items by name in the folder you are in and the folders below it. The menu beside the box limits the results to **Files** or **Folders**. Each result shows its full path; **Clear search** (or **×**) returns to the folder. ![Search results for "plot" in the SRER folder](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/assets/portal/data-search.webp) ### View files in the browser **View** opens supported files without downloading them: Jupyter notebooks, R Markdown, Quarto, and Markdown documents; PDF, HTML, JSON, and YAML; images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, SVG, WebP, BMP); and more, such as GeoJSON, video, and DuckDB or Parquet tables. A folder of images can also be opened as a gallery. For anything else, download the file or open it in the Discovery Environment. ## Upload, create, move, and delete The action row (signed in, in folders you can write to) has **Upload**, **New File**, and **New Folder**. ![The Upload Files dialog with two files selected](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/assets/portal/data-upload.webp){ width="420" } - **Upload**: click **Upload** and choose files, or drag files from your computer onto the listing. A progress panel tracks each upload. - **New Folder**: type a name and click **Create**. Avoid spaces; use `-` or `_`. - **New File**: start a new file from a template, for example a Python script or a Markdown note. - **Rename** and **Trash**: in each card's **⋮** menu. **Trash** moves the item to your Data Store trash, from which the Discovery Environment can restore it. - **Move**: drag a card onto a folder in the trail, or select several items and click **Move**. ![A file's ⋮ menu: Rename, Metadata, Full Metadata Page, Share, and Trash](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/assets/portal/data-card-menu.webp) ### Work on several items at once Tick the box on each card (or **Select All**). A toolbar appears with **Trash**, **Move**, **Share**, and **Clear**. ## Share data 1. Open the share dialog: **Share** in the folder header for the folder you are in, or **Share** in an item's **⋮** menu, or **Share** in the toolbar for several selected items. 2. Choose who gets access: - **All CyVerse Users (public)**: every signed-in CyVerse user can read it. - **Anyone without login (anonymous)**: anyone on the internet can read it. - **Share with User**: type a complete CyVerse username or email address, pick **Read**, **Write**, or **Own**, and click **Share**. 3. **Current Permissions** lists everyone who has access. Change a level or click **Remove** to take access away. ![The share dialog for a folder: public access options, Share with User, and Current Permissions](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/assets/portal/data-share.webp){ width="520" } Sharing a folder shares everything in it, including files added later. The people you share with find it under **User Shared**. ## Describe data with metadata (AVUs) Data Store metadata is stored as **AVUs**, attribute–value–unit triples: for example the attribute `depth`, the value `0.06`, and the unit `m`. 1. Click the small **AVUs** button under a file or folder's name (or **AVUs** in the folder header for the current folder). 2. The panel lists the item's AVUs. If you own the item or can write to it, edit any field in place, **Add row** for a new AVU, or use the bin icon to remove one. 3. Click **Save**. ![The AVU panel for data.csv, with editable attribute, value, and unit fields](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/assets/portal/data-avus.webp){ width="560" } Good to know: - Every AVU needs an attribute and a value; the unit is optional. - Attribute names starting with `ipc` are reserved by CyVerse. - AVUs from Discovery Environment metadata templates are kept but not shown; edit those in the DE. - **Open full metadata page** (at the bottom of the panel) shows the schema views (DataCite, Dublin Core, EML, Local Contexts, ontology terms) and DOI information. - AVUs are what the [mesa-mcp](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/servers/mesa-mcp/) server reads and writes, so an AI agent can find and curate the same metadata. ## Data in the apps Interactive apps you start from the portal see your Data Store under `~/data-store`, and batch analyses write their results under `/iplant/home//analyses/` unless you choose another folder. Open **Analysis output** folders here, or use **View Results** on the [Analyses](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/portal/analyses/) page. ## Troubleshooting | Problem | What to do | |---|---| | **My Files** asks for a password | Your CyVerse single sign-on token is missing or expired. Sign out and sign in again with **Sign in with CyVerse**. If you are asked for a WebDAV password, set one in [CyVerse user settings](https://user.cyverse.org); **Clear Session** forgets it. | | Upload, share, or AVU buttons are missing | You are signed out, or you only have **Read only** access to the folder (see the folder header). | | A new file does not appear | Wait a few seconds and refresh the page. | | "Permission denied" | Ask the owner to share the item with you, with **Write** if you need to change it. | | "Some details unavailable" in the header | Part of the folder information did not load. Click **Retry**. | | The Data Store does not answer | Check for an outage. | [^portal]: https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/portal/MESA Portal Data Browser, ; MESA Portal Data Browser user guide, .