Today we looked at how to effectively prepare data. We started by looking at how data is structured - with fields as our columns and records being our individual lines of data.
Before today, my experience with Tableau Prep had been the PreppinData Challenges aimed at beginners. I charged straight ahead without making a plan, following the instructions and playing with the steps until I got the desired output. Alas, I now know that this is not the most efficient way to work and may lead to mistakes/complications later on.
Instead, preppers should look at the different stages of data prep:
Know your data, the Desired state, plan which logical transitions need to be used and then perform these in the data prepping software. Below I have outlined some main questions to ask yourself at each stage to get you started:
If you would like to learn more and try some beginners data prepping challenges, visit: https://preppindata.blogspot.com.