---
title: Push source item metadata
slug: '115'
canonical_url: https://docs.coveo.com/en/115/
collection: index-content
source_format: adoc
---
# Push source item metadata
_Metadata_ is a key-value pair that typically provides a single specific piece of information about an [item](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) (for example, its author name).
You can push as many distinct metadata key-value pairs as you need with each individual item you add or update in a Push [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/).

To be useful, metadata must populate at least one [field](https://docs.coveo.com/en/200/) in the [index](https://docs.coveo.com/en/204/) of your [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/).
By default, when the [Coveo indexing pipeline](https://docs.coveo.com/en/184/) processes a Push source item, it tries to map each incoming metadata key to a field of the same name in the index.

> **Notes**
>
> * Only a few Coveo source types support automatic [mapping](https://docs.coveo.com/en/217/) for incoming item metadata, the Push source is one of them.
> With many other source types, you must define [mapping rules explicitly](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1640#manage-mappings) to populate index fields with incoming metadata.
> 
> * You can also configure the Push source with custom [mapping](https://docs.coveo.com/en/217/) rules for specific metadata.
> These rules override the default automapping for the specified metadata.

In summary, if you plan to include a metadata key-value pair when adding or updating an item in a Push source, first ensure you [create a field with the same name](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1833#add-a-field) in your index, unless you plan to define a custom [mapping rule](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1640#manage-mappings) to handle the metadata.

The following diagram provides a simplified overview of the metadata-to-field mapping process for incoming Push source items:


![About Push Source Item Metadata Diagram](index-content/push-source-item-metadata.png)

The articles in this section help you push item metadata effectively:

- [Standard metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/155/)
- [Custom metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/162/)