Unions and appends
1. Unions and appends
Welcome to Data Manipulation in Alteryx! I'm your instructor, Behrang Behjoo, and I'm excited to embark on this learning journey with you.2. Introduction to Data Manipulation in Alteryx
Data manipulation is essential for effective data handling, and involves data integration for a comprehensive view, data enrichment for deeper insights and better decision-making, and data cleaning to ensure accuracy and reliability.3. Data Manipulation in Alteryx
This course explores data manipulation in Alteryx in four chapters. Chapter one focuses on unions and appends.4. Data Manipulation in Alteryx
In the second chapter we'll cover joins.5. Data Manipulation in Alteryx
In the third chapter we will be going over parsing in Alteryx.6. Data Manipulation in Alteryx
And in the final chapter we'll focus on performance optimization.7. Unions and Appends
Let's jump into unions and appends! Unions and appends are fundamental tools for data integration, allowing the combination of tables and the addition of new rows to existing tables. They are essential to achieving improved data completeness and appending relevant information for comprehensive analysis. Some typical use-cases include: Consolidating sales data from several different regions to provide a holistic analysis. Or enriching an already existing dataset with supplementary information for additional insights.8. Unions and Appends
A simple way to conceptualize unions and appends is by considering how data is incorporated into an existing table. Unions add data vertically, expanding rows. While appends add data horizontally, extending columns.9. Unions are like stacking books
Imagine you have two separate stacks of books. A union is like stacking the books from both piles into a single, larger stack. Each book from both original stacks is retained in the combined stack, creating a comprehensive library that includes all unique titles from both original piles.10. Mechanics of a union
Suppose our initial stack of books comprises of works by authors whose names begin with the letter A, while the second stack includes books from authors starting with the letter B. It would be much easier if all this information was stored in one table! Both tables have the same column structure, so let's union them.11. Mechanics of a union
Now we have a unified table that contains all books authored by individuals with names beginning with both letters A and B. This results in a much more straightforward structure, making queries and analysis much simpler!12. Mechanics of a union
We could even union more tables, with author names ranging from C to Z so we end up with one table containing all the books. That's much easier to analyze!13. Appends are like adding chapters
Now, think of that same stack of books, but instead, in the first stack we have the first two chapters of a book, while the second stack holds the final chapter of the same book. By appending the second stack to the first, we create a complete book which contains all three chapters. A far more conclusive conclusion to the story!14. Mechanics of an append
We observe distinct chapters from two books represented in separate tables, table one and table two. While fantastic for organizational purposes, it introduces a bit of a hurdle for analyses.15. Mechanics of an append
Through appending table two to table one, we generate table three, consolidating all unique information found in the individual tables. Now getting a count of chapters or pages per book seems like a much less daunting task! It's important to note that in Alteryx, the Append Fields tool actually performs a join operation, a concept we will delve into later.16. Introducing Velocity Inc.
During this course, we will be working with an up-and-coming bike store named Velocity Inc. The company has stores in three distinct locations, and our focus will be to perform analysis around orders, products, customers, and much more!17. Introducing Velocity Inc.
After connecting with their IT team, we've received both the necessary data and an Entity Relationship Diagram. Something we'll need to better understand the interconnections between various tables in the dataset. Don't worry about this just yet, as we will explain further during the exercises.18. Let's practice!
Now let's assess your understanding of unions and appends.Create Your Free Account
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