# Adding a Dataset Record

This sample creates a dataset comprising string records if one does not exist and adds a record to the dataset.

You can find the implementation in [`add_string_dataset_record.py`](https://github.com/validityBase/vbase-py-samples/blob/main/samples/add_string_dataset_record.py).

## Summary <a href="#summary" id="summary"></a>

A set is a collection of objects. A named set of data records is a dataset. Such datasets can implement any point-in-time (PIT) or bitemporal data and prove this provenance to third parties.

The sample demonstrates the higher-order vBase dataset and string record abstractions that hide the details of the object and record content id (CID) calculation (hashing). This example builds on the `create_set.py` code and omits redundant comments.

## Detailed Description <a href="#detailed-description" id="detailed-description"></a>

* Create a vBase object using a Web3 HTTP commitment service. The commitment service is a smart contract running on a blockchain. The initialization uses connection parameters specified in environment variables:

  ```python
  vbc = VBaseClient.create_instance_from_env()
  ```
* Create the test dataset. If this is a new dataset, this operation records that the user with the above VBASE\_COMMITMENT\_SERVICE\_PRIVATE\_KEY has created the named dataset. Dataset creation is idempotent. If this is an existing dataset, the call is ignored. Such commitments are used to validate that a given collection of user datasets is complete and mitigates Sybil attacks (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil\\_attack>).

  ```python
  ds = VBaseDataset(vbc, SET_NAME, VBaseStringObject)
  ```
* Add string record to the dataset. Records an object commitment for a set record. A set record commitment establishes that a dataset record with a given CID has existed at a given time for a given set.

  ```python
  receipt = ds.add_record("TestRecord")
  ```
* Verify that a given set commitment exists for a given user. This will typically be called by the data consumer to verify a producer’s claims about dataset provenance:

  ```python
  assert ds.verify_commitments()[0]
  ```


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