When to use a dataset and when to use a project
Generally if you are putting up data to share or data that is private but which you might conceivably want to reuse in other projects, it's better to add the data to a dataset. If the data is in a dataset, all of its metadata will automatically show up in your project because the dataset is linked instead of copied. All changes to the original dataset--including automatic updates from the source and manual updates by the dataset owner to the metadata--will also be conveyed.
The table below summarizes the differences between adding data files to a dataset vs. to a project:
Dataset vs. Project | dataset | project |
Can run and save queries against | X | X |
Can have charts/visualizations | X | |
Can incorporate different file types | X | X |
Can contain multiple files | X | X |
Can be shared/have contributors | X | X |
Can have a discussion thread | X | X |
Can include insights | X | |
Can use existing data.world datasets without having to download and reimport them and having to recreate the associated meta-data | X | |
Can be included in a project | X | |
Can be shared for others to use in their own datasets and projects | X |