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 and drop it on a column selector or 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.

Before you begin

You must have some data loaded in the analysis, and the analysis must be in Editing mode.

About this task

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 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.

Procedure

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 a certain column in the Categorize column as section of the column view.
In the opened menu, select Change categorization.
In the list of categories, select the preferred category.
Only relevant categories can be selected. If a desired category is unavailable you might need to change the data type of the column first.
- Alternatively, drag the column to the header of the preferred category. However, this alternative only works if the category is already represented in the flyout.

Results

The column is moved to the selected category.

Tip: You can change the category for several columns simultaneously. Select the columns in question in the Data in analysis flyout (by selecting their check boxes). The Details on selected column view will show the settings that you can change for all currently selected columns. All selected columns will also be included in the move to a new category using the right-click or drag-and-drop methods, provided that the change is allowed for all of the currently selected columns.

Tip: If you right-click on one or more selected columns, where the categorization for at least one column has been modified, you can choose the Change categorization > Reset to default option to return the categorization of the columns to the original suggestion (based on data import heuristics).