---
title: Configure Adaptive Data | Adaption
description: Expand datasets, generate instruction or preference data, apply recipes, limit rows, and control adapted outputs.
---

After you [map your columns](/adaptive-data/select-columns/index.md), configure how Adaptive Data transforms them. You can expand the dataset, choose its training format, apply recipes, limit the run, and define output requirements.

The SDK examples below assume you have [configured the Python SDK](/introduction/getting-started/index.md) and set `ADAPTION_DATASET_ID` to an [imported dataset](/adaptive-data/create-a-dataset/index.md):

```
import os


from adaption import Adaption


client = Adaption()
dataset_id = os.environ["ADAPTION_DATASET_ID"]
column_mapping = {
    "prompt": "instruction",
    "completion": "response",
}
```

## Expand across languages and locales

Language expansion can increase the size of a dataset in two ways:

- **Translate** converts existing rows into other languages. Adaptive Data supports up to 242 languages.
- **Localize** adapts rows for both a language and a country, including locale-specific wording rather than direct translation alone.

### Translate rows

Set `language_expansion.type` to `translate`, then provide [ISO 639-1 language codes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ISO_639_language_codes). `sample_rate` is the fraction of source rows expanded for each target language:

```
translation = {
    "type": "translate",
    "sample_rate": 0.25,
    "languages": ["es", "fr"],
}


estimate = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    language_expansion=translation,
    estimate=True,
)
print(f"Estimated credits: {estimate.estimated_credits_consumed}")


run = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    language_expansion=translation,
)
print(f"Run started: {run.run_id}")
```

With two target languages and a `0.25` sample rate, the output contains approximately `1 + (0.25 × 2) = 1.5` times as many rows as the input.

### Localize rows

Set `type` to `localize` and provide country/language pairs using [ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2#Officially_assigned_code_elements) and [ISO 639-1 language codes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ISO_639_language_codes):

```
run = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    language_expansion={
        "type": "localize",
        "sample_rate": 0.25,
        "pairs": [
            {"country": "CA", "language": "fr"},
            {"country": "MX", "language": "es"},
        ],
    },
)
print(f"Run started: {run.run_id}")
```

Each pair creates a country- and language-specific variant rather than only translating the text.

Expansion is billed on output rows. Omitting `language_expansion` preserves expansion previously saved in the app; passing `language_expansion=None` explicitly clears it. See the [`datasets.run` reference](/api/python/resources/datasets/methods/run/index.md) for the current schema and supported values.

## Apply recipes

Recipes are optional transformations that operate on the mapped data:

- **Prompt deduplication** removes duplicate prompts to keep examples diverse.
- **Prompt rephrasing** rewrites prompts for clarity and alignment with the task.
- **Reasoning traces** add explicit intermediate reasoning to adapted completions.

In the SDK, recipes belong under `recipe_specification.recipes`. You can enable more than one recipe in the same run:

```
run = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    recipe_specification={
        "recipes": {
            "deduplication": True,
            "prompt_rephrase": True,
            "reasoning_traces": True,
        },
    },
)
print(f"Run started: {run.run_id}")
```

The exact reasoning-trace output depends on the API and recipe version. Inspect the downloaded dataset and see `RecipeSpecification` on the [`datasets.run` reference](/api/python/resources/datasets/methods/run/index.md).

Use reasoning traces when auditability, distillation, or supervised reasoning data matters. Omit them when you need only short final answers and want to reduce token use.

## Generate preference pairs

By default, Adaptive Data produces an instruction dataset for supervised fine-tuning. Set `training_type` to `preference_pairs` when you instead need chosen and rejected responses for preference training such as DPO.

The source mapping stays the same: provide a `prompt` column and, optionally, an existing `completion` column. Adaptive Data generates the preference-pair fields in the output.

```
preference_mapping = {
    "prompt": "instruction",
    "completion": "response",
}


estimate = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=preference_mapping,
    training_type="preference_pairs",
    estimate=True,
)
print(f"Estimated credits: {estimate.estimated_credits_consumed}")


run = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=preference_mapping,
    training_type="preference_pairs",
)
print(f"Run started: {run.run_id}")
```

Use `training_type="instruction_dataset"`—or omit `training_type`—to produce enhanced prompt/completion pairs instead. Language expansion, recipes, job limits, and brand controls can be included in the same preference-pair run. See `training_type` on the [`datasets.run` reference](/api/python/resources/datasets/methods/run/index.md) for the current schema.

## Limit rows and estimate a run

Use `job_specification.max_rows` to test mappings and controls on a subset before processing a large dataset. [Request an estimate with `datasets.run`](/api/python/resources/datasets/methods/run/index.md) first to validate the same configuration and receive a credit quote without starting adaptation:

```
job_specification = {"max_rows": 500}


estimate = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    job_specification=job_specification,
    estimate=True,
)
print(f"Estimated credits: {estimate.estimated_credits_consumed}")


run = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    job_specification=job_specification,
)
print(f"Run started: {run.run_id}")
```

Omit `max_rows` when you want to process the full dataset. See `JobSpecification` on the [`datasets.run` reference](/api/python/resources/datasets/methods/run/index.md) for all job-level options.

## Configure brand controls

`brand_controls` makes output requirements part of the adaptation run:

- **`length`** controls target verbosity: `minimal`, `concise`, `detailed`, or `extensive`.
- **`safety_categories`** identifies content-safety categories to enforce.
- **`hallucination_mitigation`** grounds generations with web search where applicable.
- **`blueprint`** supplies freeform instructions for tone, persona, audience, language, or product-specific wording.

### Reduce hallucinations

Hallucination mitigation steers generated completions toward verifiable information. Enable it for fact-sensitive data such as customer support, grounded question answering, or compliance workflows:

```
run = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    brand_controls={"hallucination_mitigation": True},
)
```

Grounding can affect latency and credit use. Use `estimate=True` to compare the run before scaling it.

### Control length and safety

Length and safety constraints compose in the same `brand_controls` object. Use the [`datasets.run` reference](/api/python/resources/datasets/methods/run/index.md) as the source of truth for supported safety category names:

```
run = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    brand_controls={
        "length": "concise",
        "safety_categories": ["harassment", "hate"],
    },
)
```

### Set a Blueprint

Use `blueprint` for qualitative requirements that do not fit a structured field. It acts as a system instruction for generated completions and applies consistently across the run:

```
run = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    brand_controls={
        "blueprint": (
            "You are a customer-success assistant for Acme. "
            "Answer in British English with a warm, direct tone. "
            "Do not recommend third-party tools."
        ),
    },
)
```

### Combine brand controls

Structured controls and Blueprint instructions can be used together:

```
brand_controls = {
    "length": "concise",
    "safety_categories": ["harassment", "hate"],
    "hallucination_mitigation": True,
    "blueprint": "Answer in British English with a warm, direct tone.",
}


estimate = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    brand_controls=brand_controls,
    job_specification={"max_rows": 500},
    estimate=True,
)
print(f"Estimated credits: {estimate.estimated_credits_consumed}")


run = client.datasets.run(
    dataset_id,
    column_mapping=column_mapping,
    brand_controls=brand_controls,
    job_specification={"max_rows": 500},
)
print(f"Run started: {run.run_id}")
```

After the run completes, [evaluate dataset quality](/adaptive-data/evaluate-dataset-quality/index.md) and [download the adapted rows](/api/python/resources/datasets/methods/download/index.md).