Working with Multiple Data Tables

When you configure an analysis in Spotfire, you may want to be able to visualize data from more than one data table. Adding other data tables is fairly easy; just click Files and data on the authoring bar, and select the data source of interest. See Choosing the Data to Analyze and Choosing How to Load the Data for more information. However, if you choose to bring in a lot of data tables, you may find it difficult to keep track of which data tables are related and which are not. Spotfire will add some extra visual hints when more than one data table is available to help you see which data tables are related. You may also want to view which data tables have matching columns and therefore can be combined in one visualization. Or simply view which data tables have already been combined in a certain visualization.

You can always get a collected view of all data tables in the analysis by selecting Data > Data table properties on the menu bar, or by clicking Data canvas on the authoring bar.

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To see which data table is the main data table in a certain visualization:

A visualization can combine data from many data tables, but one data table is always the main data table, and works as the anchor point in the data for the visualization. See Multiple Data Tables in One Visualization to learn more about using many data tables in one visualization.

1. Look for the data table selector in the legend of the visualization.
   

   Comment: When a new data table is added, visualizations that you create will normally show the legend with the data table selector visible. However, any old visualizations created before the second data table was added will not display their data table selectors automatically.

2. If you cannot see the data table selector in the legend, right-click in a white area of the legend and select Data table.

3. Alternatively, in the Visualization Properties dialog you can go to the Data page and directly see which data table is being used, or, you can go to the Legend page and display the legend and the data table selector by selecting the appropriate check boxes.

   Comment: You can switch to a different main data table from the menu on the data table selector.

To view information about the active data table:

The status bar, which is located at the bottom or the top of the window displays information about the main data table used by the active visualization (the visualization that was last clicked upon). If the information is not visible, click .

The information displayed is:

• the current number of filtered rows and the total number of rows in the main data table (but if the data table is loaded on demand, then the number of currently loaded rows is shown).

• the number of marked rows,

• the number of available columns,

• the name of the main data table in the active visualization.

Note that in-database data tables (external data) do not have access to the detailed information about rows and columns because the data shown in a visualization is aggregated by the external data source and not within Spotfire.

To differentiate two data tables in the filters panel:

The filters from one data table are always grouped within a single data table group, which can be expanded or collapsed in the filters panel. Filters cannot be moved from one data table group to another. Note that no data table group headers will be shown for in-database data tables until filters have been created.

To change the way filtering in a related data table affects a data table:

1. Go to the filters panel and locate the data table header for the data table of interest.

   Comment: Note that you need to specify how each data table should respond to filtering in all other related tables separately, to be certain of what will be shown in the visualizations after filtering.

2. Click Filtering in related data tables .

   Response: A drop-down menu is shown, where all related data tables are available.

3. Select the data table for which you want to change how the  filtering should affect the current data table, and select one of the following options: Include Filtered Rows Only, Exclude Filtered Out Rows or Ignore Filtering.

   Comment: See Filtering in Related Data Tables for more information about the different options.

To see which column matches exist in the analysis:

1. See To view the current column matches in the analysis.

To see which data tables are used in a visualization:

1. See To view the current column matches in a visualization.