Data tables with matching columns using different names

If you want to show data from multiple data tables in a single visualization, the data tables must have at least one column match available. This example shows how you can add a manual column match when columns to match exist but they have different names.

About this task

If you load the three data tables below into Spotfire, matches will automatically be added only between the columns named 'Region' because that is the only column with an identical name in all of the data tables.

However, if you want to compare the performance of the four salespersons rather than sales per region, you must use a column containing the names of the persons on an axis that groups the visualization in some way; for instance, on the category axis of a bar chart. In this example, those columns are named 'Sales Person', 'Salesperson', and 'Sales Rep' respectively, which means they are not identical and have not been matched automatically. But the columns contain the same values, so they can be used to group an axis in the visualization. To do so, the column matches must be added manually.

To use the data table named 'Sales Current Year' as the main data table, and to include data from the other two data tables in the same visualization, you must add two matches: 'Salesperson' - 'Sales Person' and 'Salesperson' - 'Sales Rep'. As long as you use 'Sales Current Year' as the main data table, it is not necessary to add a match between 'Sales Person' and 'Sales Rep', but you can add a match between them as well.

Before you begin

Manual column matches must be authored in the installed client.

Procedure

In the installed Spotfire client, load the data tables, select Data > Data Table Properties, and open the Column Matches tab.
In the Data tables list, click to select the main data table: 'Sales Current Year'.
Click New, to the right of the list showing the Current matches for the selected data table.
In the New Match dialog, in the Right data table drop-down list, select the 'Sales Previous Year' data table.
The data table in the Left data table drop-down list is already set to 'Sales Current Year' because this data table was selected in the Data Table Properties dialog.
In the Left matching column selector, choose 'Salesperson'.
In the Right matching column selector, choose 'Sales Person' and click OK.
Repeat the steps to add the second column match, but select the 'Targets' as the Right data table, and 'Sales Rep' as the Right matching column instead.
Click OK to close the Data Table Properties dialog.

Results

When matches have been added, they are shown in the Column Matches tab:

Note that column matches for the column named 'Region' had already been added automatically.

With the added matches, you can now create a visualization where 'Sales Current Year' is the main data table, and the column 'Salesperson' is used on a grouping axis: