This page will provide you with an overview of the purpose and use of the UNSW Data Archive.

This page contains the following elements:

• What is the UNSW Data Archive?
• What do I need to access the Data Archive?
• How do I access the Data Archive?
• Core elements of the Data Archive application
• Navigating the Data Archive video
• Viewing data in Asset Finder video
• Help and further information

What is the UNSW Data Archive?

The UNSW Data Archive provides long-term data management and storage options for UNSW research staff and students. As a UNSW researcher, the Data Archive will give you free access to securely archive all your research data and share it with your team. The Data Archive is designed to help UNSW researchers comply with the UNSW Research Code of Conduct and the UNSW Procedure for Handling Research Material and Data.

The intent of the Data Archive is to support researchers to archive their research data and retrieve it when necessary. The UNSW Data Archive has been set up as the University's institutional archive store for archival purposes. As such, uploaded files cannot be deleted.

Download the Data Archive posters and the flyer.

What do I need to access the Data Archive?

• An active UNSW zID and zPass. To verify your zID/zPass visit the UNSW Identity management page.
• An approved Research Data Management Plan (RDMP) (see the RDMP and Data Archive page for more information).
• Research data identified and prepared for upload into the Data Archive.
• Access levels appropriate to the tasks you wish to undertake within the Data Archive.
• Access to the UNSW Network, either on a UNSW campus or by using the UNSW VPN Service 
• If you are downloading data, you need to migrate that data online before you start the download, see our guide for how to do this.

How do I access the Data Archive?

There are a three ways to access the Data Archive:

• Using the Web application with a Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. See the Web application guide for further information.
• Using a SFTP Client. See the SFTP client guide for further information.
• Using a Command line Script. See the Command line script guide for further information.

All researchers are able to upload, download, share, locate and review their research data using the Web application (see the Web application guide for further information). The other options, for researchers with specific needs, include using a SFTP Client (see the SFTP client guide for further information), and a Command line Script (see the Command line script guide for further information).

The size of your data and frequency of data creation will influence how you interact with the Data Archive. Please use the table below to determine which method aligns with your needs:

Core elements of the Data Archive application

Note: do not use the browser navigation buttons when inside the Web application.

Video: Navigating the Data Archive

Video: Viewing data in Asset Finder:

There are four applications available to users of the Data Archive:

Note: double click on the icon of the selected option to open

Asset Finder

• Users can ingest (upload) and egest (download) data
• Browse data and metadata
• View previous versions of files (see the How do I access / view previous versions of a file? FAQ)

Note: Double click to open your Collections (folder) - the label/name of your Collections will correspond to the Research Data Management Plan Project ID - when in Asset Finder.

Asset Map

• Location based data display for data with geospatial metadata
• Location based data discovery for data with geospatial metadata

Metadata Library

• Create and update metadata document definitions with a simple graphical tool
• Define and edit metadata documents
• Add metadata (in addition to that automatically extracted when uploading) during upload, or to data already in the Data Archive. See the Metadata guide for more information

Dictionaries

• Create and maintain arbitrary look-up lists (dictionaries), consisting of terms and associated definitions
• Metadata documents can refer to specific dictionaries

Searching the Data Archive:

Locating data inside the Data Archive is achieved in a variety of ways. See the Search, filters, views, favourites page for how to locate data.

Help and further information:

• For help and support when using the Data Archive, see
• all Help Topics
• all Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• browse through the carousel on the homepage to view all available videos
• For information on the types of data to add to the Data Archive, see Preparing data for upload
• For more information on the access levels in the Data archive, see Roles and access inside the Data Archive
• For information on finding data in the Data Archive, see Search, filters, view and favourites
• For information on metadata (descriptive data) automatically and manually added to your research data, see the Metadata guide
• For information on using the Data Archive Web application, see the Web application guide
• For information on the relationship between a Research Data Management Plan (RDMP) and the Data Archive, see RDMP and the Data Archive
• For information on submitting a RDMP, see Research Data Management at UNSW
• To create, or update, a Research Data Management Plan (RDMP) go to the ResToolkit service
• For information on data management at UNSW, see the Research Data Management Toolkit
• To access the Data Archive Web application, use this link, or, go to the Home page for other access options
• Note: the Data Archive service is also available over SFTP, see the SFTP client guide for more information