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
About this task
![Data panel with different categories](../../images/data_panel.png)
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
Results
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), and they will all be included in the move to the new category
using the right-click or drag-and-drop methods.
Note: Right-clicking a
column and selecting
Change categorization 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).
Parent topic: Data in analysis