| --- |
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| title: Data mocking |
| description: Ways to mock data in your n8n workflow. |
| contentType: howto |
| --- |
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| # Data mocking |
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| Data mocking is simulating or faking data. It's useful when developing a workflow. By mocking data, you can: |
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| - Avoid making repeated calls to your data source. This saves time and costs. |
| - Work with a small, predictable dataset during initial development. |
| - Avoid the risk of overwriting live data: in the early stages of building your workflow, you don't need to connect your real data source. |
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| ## Mocking with real data using data pinning |
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| Using [data pinning](/data/data-pinning.md), you load real data into your workflow, then pin it in the output panel of a node. Using this approach you have realistic data, with only one call to your data source. You can [edit pinned data](/data/data-editing.md). |
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| Use this approach when you need to configure your workflow to handle the exact data structure and parameters provided by your data source. |
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| --8<-- "_snippets/data/how-to-pin-data.md" |
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| ## Generate custom data using the Code or Edit Fields nodes |
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| You can create a custom dataset in your workflow using either the [Code node](/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.code/index.md) or the [Edit Fields (Set) node](/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.set.md). |
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| In the Code node, you can create any data set you want, and return it as the node output. In the Edit Fields node, select **Add fields** to add your custom data. |
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| The Edit Fields node is a good choice for small tests. To create more complex datasets, use the Code node. |
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| ## Output a sample data set from the Customer Datastore node |
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| The Customer Datastore node provides a fake dataset to work with. Add and execute the node to explore the data. |
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| Use this approach if you need some test data when exploring n8n, and you don't have a real use-case to work with. |
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