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# Get the latest file from a linked URL dataset in Mammoth

> Refresh a Mammoth dataset that follows a URL: Get the latest, schedule a Dataset Refresh, switch between linked and copied, and see masked source links.
>
> Applies to: Where: Data Library › dataset panel › Get the latest

A dataset you create [from a URL](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/get-data-in/import-from-a-url/) with **Keep it linked** keeps following its link. Fetch the latest file with **Get the latest** in the dataset's panel in the **Data Library**, or on a schedule with a Dataset Refresh automation. A copy made with **Copy it once** keeps the link only as a note.

## Get the latest file from its link

A dataset created From URL shows where it is linked, such as **Linked to example.com**. To fetch the file again:

1. Open the dataset's panel in the Data Library.
2. Click **Get the latest** ("Fetch the file at its link again.").

Your pipeline replays over the new file. Each refresh follows the dataset's update method in its **Settings**. A dataset you keep linked when you create it starts on Replace, so fetching an unchanged file again doesn't repeat its rows. If the update method adds rows, the panel notes "Each refresh adds the file's rows again."

## Refresh a URL dataset on a schedule

Add the dataset to a [Dataset Refresh](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/automate/refresh-a-dataset/) automation. Dataset Refresh accepts datasets that follow the link they came from.

Two cases can't be refreshed from the link:

- A dataset made from a JSON file: "A dataset made from a JSON file can’t take new rows from its link."
- A copy, which keeps the link as a note only: "A copy. To fetch it again, choose Follow its link in ⋮."

## Switch a dataset between linked and copied

From the dataset's ⋮ menu:

| Option | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Stop following the link** | Turns a linked dataset into a copy. It works like an uploaded file and is never fetched from the link again. |
| **Follow its link** | Turns a copy back into a linked dataset, so **Get the latest** and Dataset Refresh fetch the file again. |

If you chose **Copy it once** but Mammoth couldn't make the copy, it says "The dataset was added, but it still follows its link. Choose Stop following the link in its menu to make it a copy."

## See where a dataset came from

The dataset's panel shows a source card: **Linked to** for a linked dataset, or **Copied from** for a copy, followed by the link.

Mammoth masks the parts of a link that can carry credentials. A `user:password@` login and the values in the query string (for example a `token` or an `X-Amz-Signature`) show as `***`. Values that only steer how a host serves the file, such as `dl`, `raw`, `format` or `gid`, stay visible. Everyone who can open the dataset sees the masked link, and refreshes still use the full stored link.

## See every dataset that follows a link

The **Links** group, under the connections on **All** and **Sources**, on **Data → Connections** lists every dataset created from a file at a URL, grouped by website. Each website row shows how many datasets follow it, how many are on a schedule, and **Last fetch failed** if one failed.

Open a website to see its datasets. Each shows when it was last fetched (such as **Fetched 2 hours ago**) or why the last fetch failed (for example, "The link answered 404" or "The link could not be reached"), and its schedule or **Manual**. Click **Get the latest** to fetch the file again now; the menu offers **Automate the refresh** (a scheduled refresh) and **Open dataset**.

When two datasets follow the same link, the second says, for example, **same link as Daily Sales**, with a note that "Usually one was added by mistake." If a fetch fails, check the URL still returns the file (see [Troubleshooting URL imports](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/get-data-in/import-from-a-url/#troubleshooting-url-imports)).

## Related

- [Import a file from a URL](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/get-data-in/import-from-a-url/): create the dataset and fix URL errors.
- [Refresh a dataset](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/automate/refresh-a-dataset/): fetch the file from its link on a schedule.
- [Add or replace data in a dataset](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/get-data-in/add-or-replace-data/): how update methods add or replace rows.
- [Manage saved connections](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/get-data-in/connections/): the Connections page that holds the **Links** group.

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Source: https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/get-data-in/linked-url-datasets.md · Updated: 2026-11-08