# Collections tool The [Weaviate Cloud (WCD)](/go/console?utm_content=cloud) Collections tool makes it easy for developers and non-technical users to create, manage, and delete collections. Use the tool to configure a new collection, specify a vectorizer module and add collection properties. ## Open a collection The collections tool is available for collections that are hosted in Weaviate Cloud. [Embedded content embed](https://app.guideflow.com/embed/er58w60s6r) :::accordion{title="Open a collection step by step"} 1. Open the [Weaviate Cloud console](/go/console?utm_content=cloud). 2. Select the `Collections` tool from the left sidebar. 3. Select a cluster from the list to see its collections. 4. Click `View details` to check the collection config, or `Explore data` to view collection objects. ::: If you don't see any available clusters, select the `Clusters` option from the left hand menu and follow the steps to [create a new cluster](../manage-clusters/create.md). ## Create a collection ### Create collections with sample data [Embedded content embed](https://app.guideflow.com/embed/er58w0xb6r) :::accordion{title="Create collections with sample data step by step"} 1. Open the [Weaviate Cloud console](/go/console?utm_content=cloud). 2. Select the `Collections` tool from the left sidebar. 3. Click on the `New Collection` button. 4. Click the `Create sample collection` button to configure and create a collection with sample data. 5. Choose the sample dataset you wish to use. 6. Finish the collection creation process. ::: ### Create collections with PDF data The Weaviate Cloud (WCD) _Collection tool_ allows you to easily upload data from a PDF file into a new Weaviate collection. The tool guides you through selecting your cluster, configuring the collection, and then automatically imports the data and vectorizes the PDF pages. For this guide, we will use the following file: _NASA's Plan for Sustainable Lunar Exploration (c. 2024)_. [Embedded content embed](https://app.guideflow.com/embed/lpnl4y7ijk) :::accordion{title="Create collections with PDF data step by step"} 1. Open the [Weaviate Cloud console](/go/console?utm_content=cloud). 2. Select the `Collections` tool from the left sidebar. 3. Click on the `New Collection` button. 4. Click on `Create new collection` and select the `Upload CSV, Excel or PDF` option. 5. Click the `Browse files` button to select the PDF file from your computer. 6. Choose a name for the collection. Optionally add a description and update the default settings if necessary. 7. Finish the collection creation process. ::: ### Create collections with CSV/Excel data The Weaviate Cloud (WCD) _Collection tool_ allows you to easily upload data from a CSV file into a new Weaviate collection. The tool guides you through selecting your cluster, configuring the collection, mapping CSV columns to Weaviate properties, and then automatically imports the data. For this guide, we will use the following `import.csv` file: ```csv title="import.csv" id,product_name,price,description 1,"Laptop",1200.00,"High-performance laptop with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD." 2,"Mouse",25.00,"Wireless optical mouse with ergonomic design." 3,"Keyboard",75.00,"Mechanical keyboard with RGB backlighting." ``` [Embedded content embed](https://app.guideflow.com/embed/np1zoldaek) :::accordion{title="Create collections with CSV/Excel data step by step"} 1. Open the [Weaviate Cloud console](/go/console?utm_content=cloud). 2. Select the `Collections` tool from the left sidebar. 3. Click on the `New Collection` button. 4. Click on `Create new collection` and select the `Upload CSV or Excel` option. 5. Click the `Browse files` button to select the CSV/Excel files from your computer. 6. Choose a name for the collection. Optionally add a description and update the default settings if necessary. 7. Select which columns to import as object properties into the collection. 8. Configure property names, descriptions and data types. Also, choose which properties will be vectorized. 9. Finish the collection creation process. ::: ### Create a custom collection This allows you to create an empty collection which can then be populated programmatically. [Embedded content embed](https://app.guideflow.com/embed/3r3z68gank) :::accordion{title="Create a custom collection step by step"} 1. Open the [Weaviate Cloud console](/go/console?utm_content=cloud). 2. Select the `Collections` tool from the left sidebar. 3. Click on the `New Collection` button. 4. Click on `Create new collection` and select the `Configuration for any data format` option. 5. In the **General** section, configure collection-wide settings: - Name the collection (must begin with a capital letter, only letters, numbers, and underscores allowed). - Enable [multi-tenancy](../how-to-manage-collections/multi-tenancy.md) if you need data isolation between users. - Set a default [vectorizer](../reference-configuration/collections.md#vector-configuration). The editor expands to show model configuration options for the selected vectorizer. - Optionally toggle `Vectorize collection name` to include the collection name in the vector embedding. 6. In the **Properties** section, add properties to the collection: - Enter property names (must begin with a lowercase letter, only letters, numbers, and underscores allowed). - Set the data type for each property. Some types show a gear icon for additional configuration. - For `Object` type properties, click `Edit` to add nested sub-properties. - Click the trashcan icon to remove a property. 7. Finish the collection creation process. ::: ## Modify a collection Most collection settings are immutable after creation. The following can be updated: - **Collection description**: Update the description text at any time. - **Compression method**: Enable a [compression method](manage-collections-enable-compression.md) if none is currently set. Once compression is enabled, it cannot be changed or disabled. - **New properties**: Add new properties to an existing collection. However, you cannot change the data type or vectorizer configuration of existing properties. To modify a collection, first [select the collection](#open-a-collection) you want to edit, then make changes in the editor. :::callout{intent="info" title="Additional mutable settings"} Some collection settings that are not available in the console can be updated programmatically using a client library. See the [collection mutability reference](../reference-configuration/collections.md#mutability) for the full list. ::: ### Enable TTL for a collection [Time-to-live (TTL)](../how-to-manage-collections/time-to-live.md) allows you to set an expiration time for objects in a collection. TTLs are currently defined at the collection level. They can be set relative to an object's creation time, the last update time, or a specific DATE property within the object. [Embedded content embed](https://app.guideflow.com/embed/vkmxog0f3p) :::accordion{title="Enable TTL step by step"} 1. Open the [Weaviate Cloud console](/go/console?utm_content=cloud). 2. Select your organization and cluster in the left sidebar. 3. Open the `Collections` tool from the left sidebar and select the collection you want to modify. 4. Click the pencil icon next to the Time to live (TTL) field. 5. Select your desired [TTL settings](../how-to-manage-collections/time-to-live.md) and save them. ::: ## Delete a collection Once a collection is deleted, it cannot be restored. The collection schema and all of the collection objects are deleted from the cluster. This operation cannot be undone. [Embedded content embed](https://app.guideflow.com/embed/zklv70nbor) :::accordion{title="Delete a collection step by step"} 1. Open the [Weaviate Cloud console](/go/console?utm_content=cloud). 2. Select the `Collections` tool from the left sidebar. 3. Select a cluster from the list to see its collections. 4. Click the trashcan icon next to the collection you want to delete. 5. Enter the collection name in the text box to confirm, then press `Delete collection`. ::: ## Additional considerations Weaviate collection schemas are highly configurable and can be tuned in many ways. Some schema elements are modifiable after you create the collection, but many properties cannot be modified. For additional details, see [Collection definition](../reference-configuration/collections.md). ## Further resources - [Reference: Collection definition](../reference-configuration/collections.md) - [Starter guide: Collection definitions (schemas)](../starter-guides/managing-collections.md) ## Support If you use **Weaviate Cloud** (Database cluster(s) or Weaviate product in the cloud) or have a self-hosted support package, open a ticket in the [Support Portal](https://support.weaviate.io) or email [Weaviate support](mailto\:support@weaviate.io) directly. To add a [support plan](https://weaviate.io/support-plans), contact [Weaviate sales](https://weaviate.io/pricing#contact-sales). Use the **Support Portal** for direct help from the Weaviate team: open and track tickets, and we'll respond in line with your support plan. The **Community Forum** is open to everyone, and a great place to ask questions, get help with your cluster, and connect with other developers. For all the ways to get help, see the [Support overview](../support/overview.md). ::::card-grid :::card{title="Weaviate Support Portal" href="https://support.weaviate.io" icon="headset"} Direct help from the Weaviate team for Weaviate Cloud. Open and track tickets in the **Support Portal**. ::: :::card{title="Weaviate Community Forum" href="https://forum.weaviate.io/c/support" icon="messages-square"} Ask questions, share ideas, and connect with other developers on our **Community forum**. ::: :::: ## Related pages - [Agents](./agents-index.md) - [AI-assisted Weaviate code generation](./ai-assisted-vibe-coding-index.md) - [APIs](./apis-index.md) - [Authorization and authentication](./authorization-and-authentication-index.md) - [Benchmarks](./benchmarks-index.md) - [Best practices](./best-practices-index.md) - [Client libraries](./clients-index.md) - [Client Libraries / SDKs](./client-libraries-index.md) - [Cloud](./cloud-index.md) - [Cloud account management](./cloud-account-management-index.md) # Agent Instructions This portal answers questions programmatically. To receive a synthesized, source-cited answer instead of crawling page by page, append the `?ask=` query parameter to any page URL on this site: /guides/quickstart?ask=how+do+I+authenticate Optional parameters: - `&goal=` steers the answer toward your objective (e.g. `&goal=write+a+python+client`). - `&version=