Changing the Categorization of a Column

In the Data in analysis flyout, the columns are by default organized into categories. The category of a column affects what happens when you drag the column to a column selector or to a drop target in a visualization. It also affects which kinds of visualizations are advised in recommendations. If the suggested category for a column is not your preferred category, you can change the categorization.

The different categories are Numbers, Currency, Time, Location, Categories, Identifiers, Text, Images, and Binary. Which categories are available depends on the data type of the column. For example, if the values in a column are integers like 4633, 4637, and 4638, the suggested category might be Numbers. This means that you can calculate sums or averages, or use any other aggregation methods. However, these numbers could just as well represent, for example, employee numbers or purchase order numbers, and sum or average would not be relevant. In these cases, the column values should instead be handled as Identifiers or as Categories.

To change categorization:

1. In the Data in analysis flyout, right-click on the column whose categorization you want to change. You can also expand the Data in analysis flyout and change the categorization for the selected column in the Categorize column as section of the expanded flyout.

2. In the opened menu, select Change categorization.

3. In the list of categories, select the preferred category. Only relevant categories can be selected. If a desired category is unavailable you may need to change the data type of the column first.

Comment: Alternatively, you can drag the column to the header of the preferred category. However, this method only works when the wanted category is already represented in the flyout.

Tip: You can change the category for several columns simultaneously. Select the columns in question in the flyout (by selecting their check boxes), and they will all be included in the move to the new category using the right-click or drag-and-drop methods.

Right-clicking a column and selecting Change categorization also offers the Reset to default option. If you select this option, the categorization of the column will be returned to the original suggestion (based on data import heuristics).