---
title: Data views
description: Learn what a Kibana data view is, the three ways you end up with one, and where to go to create, delete, duplicate, or customize one.
url: https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views
products:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless
  - Kibana
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless: Generally available
  - Elastic Stack: Generally available
---

# Data views
By default, analytics features such as Discover require a data view to access the Elasticsearch data that you want to explore. A data view can point to one or more indices, [data streams](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/manage-data/data-store/data-streams), or [index aliases](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/manage-data/data-store/aliases). For example, a data view can point to your log data from yesterday, or all indices that contain your data.
<note>
  In certain apps, you can also query your Elasticsearch data using [ES|QL](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/elasticsearch/tree/main/reference/query-languages/esql). With ES|QL, data views aren't required.
</note>


## How you end up with a data view

There are three ways a data view ends up in your space:
- **Created for you** — Some workflows create a data view automatically. Adding [sample data](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/manage-data/ingest/sample-data), [uploading a file](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/manage-data/ingest/upload-data-files), and running some machine learning [data frame analytics](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/explore-analyze/machine-learning/data-frame-analytics) jobs each create one for you, ready to use in Discover and Lens. These are ordinary data views that you can edit like any other. Installing an Elastic integration through Fleet also creates data views for you, but those are managed by Elastic (see below).
- **Created by you** — For your own data, you often need to create the data view yourself. Refer to [Create a data view](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views/create-data-view).
- **Managed by Elastic** — Some data views are configured and managed by Elastic, for example by Fleet integrations, Elastic Security, and Cases. Managed data views carry a **Managed** tag. You can view and use them, but you can't edit them, and <applies-to>Elastic Stack: Generally available since 9.4</applies-to> you can't delete them either. If you'd like to use a modified version of a managed data view, [duplicate it](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views/duplicate-data-view) and edit the copy instead.

Not sure whether you already have one? Open the data view menu in **Discover** or **Lens**, or go to the **Data Views** management page: both list every data view available in your space.

## Search across clusters, projects, or rolled-up data

To point a data view at another cluster, another project, or a rollup index, refer to [Data view search syntax](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views/data-view-search-syntax).

## Manage your data views

- [Create a data view](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views/create-data-view)
- [Delete a data view](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views/delete-data-view)
- [Duplicate a data view](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views/duplicate-data-view)
- [Customize data view fields](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/7723/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views/customize-data-view-fields) — add runtime or scripted fields, and change how fields are formatted