# data-steps dataSpec describes the criteria used to find data if searching a database (NiDB for example, since this pipeline is usually connected to a database). The dataSpec is a JSON array of the following variables. **Search** variables specify how to find data in a database, and **Export** variables specify how the data is exported.

### JSON variables :blue\_circle: Primary key\ :red\_circle: Required

Variable	Type	Default	Description
`AssociationType`	string	🔴	[Search] `study`, or `subject`.
`BehavioralDirectory`	string		[Export] if `BehFormat` writes data to a sub directory, the directory should be named this.
`BehavioralDirectoryFormat`	string		[Export] `nobeh`, `behroot`, `behseries`, `behseriesdir`
`DataFormat`	string	🔴	[Export] `native`, `dicom`, `nifti3d`, `nifti4d`, `analyze3d`, `analyze4d`, `bids`.
`Enabled`	bool	🔴	[Search] `true` if the step is enabled, `false` otherwise
`Gzip`	bool		[Export] `true` if converted Nift data should be g-zipped, `false` otherwise.
`ImageType`	string		[Search] Comma separated list of image types, often derived from the DICOM ImageType tag, (0008:0008).
`DataLevel`	string	🔴	[Search] `nearestintime`, `samestudy`. Where is the data coming from.
`Location`	string		[Export] Directory, relative to the `analysisroot`, where this data item will be written.
`Modality`	string	🔴	[Search] Modality to search for.
`NumberBOLDreps`	string		[Search] If `SeriesCriteria` is set to `usecriteria`, then search based on this option.
`NumberImagesCriteria`	string		[Search]
`Optional`	bool	🔴	[Search] `true` if this data step is option. `false` if this step is required and the analysis will not run if the data step is not found.
`Order`	number	🔴	The numerical order of this data step.
`PreserveSeries`	bool		[Export] `true` to preserve series numbers or `false` to assign new ordinal numbers.
`PrimaryProtocol`	bool		[Search] `true` if this data step determines the primary study, from which subsequent analyses are run.
`Protocol`	string	🔴	[Search] Comma separated list of protocol name(s).
`SeriesCriteria`	string	🔴	[Search] Criteria for which series are downloaded if more than one matches criteria: `all`, `first`, `last`, `largest`, `smallest`, `usecriteria`.
`UsePhaseDirectory`	bool		[Export] `true` to write data to a sub directory based on the phase encoding direction.
`UseSeriesDirectory`	bool		[Export] `true` to write each series to its own directory, `false` to write data to the root export directory.

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