Dataset Digest — Merge Datasets Into One Readable Summary
Turn several Apify datasets into one markdown digest a person will actually read: a source table, the merged rows, and an honest count of anything collapsed or dropped. Put it on a schedule and it becomes the weekly summary of a whole pipeline.
Dataset Digest — Merge Datasets Into One Readable Summary returns 6 documented output fields, including _source, _dedupe_field, rows, label and status. Every field carries a declared type, a written description and an example value. 1 runs are recorded on Apify.
- 6
- Output fields
- 6
- Inputs
- 1
- Run
- 2026-10-16
- Last run
01 — output
What it returns
Every field the extractor writes to its dataset, with its type, a written description and an example value.
| Field | Type | What it holds | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| _source | string | number | boolean | array | objectnull | Which source this row came from. | dataset-alpha |
| _dedupe_field | string | number | boolean | array | objectnull | The field used to deduplicate. | |
| rows | arraynull | The merged rows this digest covers. | 120 |
| label | string | number | boolean | array | objectnull | Human-readable label for this row. | run-1 |
| status | string | number | boolean | array | objectnull | Outcome recorded for this row. | ok |
| record_type | stringnull | What this row is — "digest" for the summary record. | change |
02 — sample
One record
Assembled from the example values declared on the schema above, not invented at render time.
{
"_source": "dataset-alpha",
"_dedupe_field": "email",
"rows": 120,
"label": "run-1",
"status": "ok",
"record_type": "change"
}03 — input
What you give it
| Input | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| sources | arrayoptional | One entry per dataset: the dataset id on its own, or "label=datasetId" to give it a name in the digest. Empty means there is nothing to summarise, and the Actor says so. |
| title | stringoptional | The heading of the document, e.g. "Weekly competitor watch". |
| dedupeKey | stringoptional | A field present in several sources, e.g. url or email. Leave empty and every row is kept — a digest is not a deduplicator, and collapsing rows silently would misreport the volume. When set, the first occurrence wins and the collapse is counted and reported. |
| columns | arrayoptional | Which fields appear in the digest table. Leave empty and the fields present in every row are used, which avoids columns that look like missing data. |
| maxRowsPerSource | integeroptional | Caps how many rows each source contributes, so one huge dataset cannot swamp the digest. Anything dropped is counted in the SUMMARY, never silently removed. |
| maxRowsInDigest | integeroptional | A hard cap on the table itself. A digest with 10,000 rows is not a digest, so the default keeps it readable. |
04 — run
Run Dataset Digest on your own input
It runs in the cloud on Apify. Nothing to install, and you are billed per result returned rather than per attempt.
05 — questions
Asked before running it
6 of 6 fields described
- What does Dataset Digest — Merge Datasets Into One Readable Summary return?
- It returns 6 documented output fields: _source, _dedupe_field, rows, label, status and record_type. Each field declares its type, a description of what it holds, and an example value.
- What input does Dataset Digest — Merge Datasets Into One Readable Summary take?
- All 6 inputs are optional and ship with usable defaults, so it runs as-is. They are listed with their types below.
- Does Dataset Digest — Merge Datasets Into One Readable Summary need an API key or login?
- No. None of its inputs is a credential, and it reads only public data. Nothing to sign up for before the first run.
- How do I run Dataset Digest — Merge Datasets Into One Readable Summary?
- It runs on Apify. Start it from its listing with the inputs above, or call the Apify API with the Actor's ID. Results land in a dataset you can export as JSON, CSV or Excel, or read through the Apify API into your own pipeline.