Tabular Data Manager

This is the user guide to Tabular Data Manager portlet.

Overview

Tabular data manager, is a working environment which ensures the management of tabular resources such as datasets, codelist and generic tables. Different types of data can be imported into the platform and a set of operations be performed to create, explore and partially manipulate your file. Tabular Resources are used in different scientific fields ranging from statistics to signal processing and econometrics. Among the available facilities of Tabular Data Manager is the possibility to check for data correctness using codelist files, to perform aggregating and filtering operations. The main strength of the platform is the management of big dataset with more than million of data without having problems in exploring and further process your file.

Tabular Data Manager, portlet

Main interface features

Composition of the interface :

Ribbon menu

The interface consists of a top ribbon menu of four tabs (i.e Home, Curation, Modify and Analyse) which includes the main functionalities of the portlet.

Tabular Data Manager, Ribbon menu

Tabular Data Manager, Curation tab

Tabular Data Manager, Modify tab

Tabular Data Manager, Analyse tab

Tools area

The interface has a left side panel, which reports the main characteristics of the activated table (i.e tab properties). In also, you can visualize the list of the performed operations (once you have already manipulated your file) and if those have been successfully validated (i.e validation tab). The tab resources, lists possible operations to perform on your file (i.e export csv).

Tabular Data Manager, tools area

Main area

In the central panel, your active tabular resource is displayed. The picture shows on which table you are working on as confirmed by the bottom panel.

Tabular Data Manager, main area

Home

File Menu

This section includes basic operations to open, close, delete, investigating the properties and clone your table.

Open

A window will show the list of tabular resource available to the user.

To open your tabular resource you need to click on the Home tab and on the Open button of the File menu.

A window will appear to show the list of tabular resources already uploaded in your workspace and thus available to be visualized

Tabular Data Manager, Open button in the Home tab

Close

A singular tabular resources can be closed directly in the bottom menu of the central panel (See Figure in Section "Main area"). You can also use the close button on the top of the ribbon menu, Home-> File, which allows to close all the open tables in you working environment.

Tabular Data Manager, close button in the Home tab

Delete

It is possible to delete your table resources using the button Delete on the File menu of the Home tab. The resource will not be available into your workspace anymore. A po-up window will appear to confirm the operation.

Tabular Data Manager, deletebutton

Properties

The tab properties shows the main characteristics of the activated tabular resource, for example: description, type and owner.

Tabular Data Manager, properties

The Resources button, shows the resources associated with the tabular resource.

Tabular Data Manager, resources

The Validations button, shows the validations associated with the tabular resource.

Tabular Data Manager, validations

Clone

You can create one or more copies of your table using the Clone button in the File menu.

Grid Menu

A column and a context menu, are available directly on your tabular resource. By using the column menu, which appear in each column header, you can access to the main functionalities, present in the tabs of the ribbon bar (see image in the section Column Menu). On the other hand, the right click on the cell allows to execute basic operations (see image of the section Contex Menu)

Example of the Grid Header Column Menu

Tabular Data Manager, grid header column menu

Example of the Context Menu

Tabular Data Manager, grid context menu

Filter

This function allows to sort and delete the columns that does not match with the criteria established by the user

Tabular Data Manager, Filter

Inline filter

This functions allows to retrieve values greater, minor or equal to a certain value the user establishes.

Tabular Data Manager, Inline filter

Replace by batch

This functions has a duplex utility: the user can replace the cells that have been identified with errors in previous operations or can replace all at once the cells that match the criteria selected.

Tabular Data Manager, Replace by batch

Replace by Expression

Tabular Data Manager, Replace by Expression

Import Menu

CSV

Users can import their file in .csv format, by clicking on the CSV button of the Import menu.

Tabular Data Manager, Import button in the Home tab

The user can specify using a pop-up window the file source. There are two possibilities: File source, if you want to retrieve your files from your local computer or Workspace, if you want to retrieve them from your workspace.

Tabular Data Manager, CSV source selection

After, several pop-up windows will appear for both file configuration and detail.

Tabular Data Manager, CSV configuration

Tabular Data Manager, Details on the imported table

A final pop-up window will inform you when the file is successfully imported

Tabular Data Manager, file successfully uploded

Export Menu

CSV

Users can export their file in a .csv format, by clicking on the CSV button in the Export menu.

Tabular Data Manager, Export .csv file in the Home tab

Using a pop-up window, the user specifies the folder into the workspace where the file will be saved. From the workspace the file can be downloaded in local.

Tabular Data Manager, Export your CSV in your Workspace folder

A pop-up windows will help you to configure your file for the export.

Tabular Data Manager, Configure the export of your CSV file

A final pop-up window will inform you the success of the export procedure.

Tabular Data Manager, the file has been successfully exported

Template Menu

In this menu, there is the possibility to create new, open or delete your tabular templates.

Tabular Data Manager, template menu: new, open and delete button

New Template

When a new file procedure starts, a pop-up window will inform the user on the different possibilities and properties of tabular resources he/she can create: dataset, codelist and generic.

Tabular Data Manager, template type: dataset, codelist, generic

Users can see visualized in the guide structure the constraints and the mandatory fields of creating all types of tables

Tabular Data Manager, Structure of a codelist template

Tabular Data Manager, Structure of a dataset template

Tabular Data Manager, Structure of a generic template

the template files can be used on imported files.

Open Template

Users can use a pop-up window which enables selecting and open the template

Delete Template

Users can use a pop-up window which enables delete the selected template

Share

Users can decide sharing their own tabular resources by using the Share button in the same Menu. This button will be active only on the opened tabular resource. The person receiving the shared file, will automatically have it in the Tabular Data Manager repository.

Tabular Data Manager, template menu: new, open and delete button

Tasks Menu

Timeline

This button displays all the operations performed on the active tabular resource. It gives information on the type, the status and the progress of the operation in case some of them are still on course.

Tabular Data Manager, Timeline monitor view

Background

Users can run multiple operations and leave them in the background while working with other files.

History Menu

The history menu registers all the operation you performed in the file. The user can decide to go back until the original is not recovered.

Tabular Data Manager, The History and Undo buttons

History

Records of all the operation executed on the table. The user can sort ascending or descending the operations and decide which one to visualize.

Tabular Data Manager, Screen-shot of the last executed operation on one file

Undo

This button allows to recover the previous version of the file by annulling the executed operations

Tabular Data Manager, Discard last operation

Curation

Validation Menu

Duplicate Detection

The is the possibility to detect duplicate in your tabular resource using the button Duplicate Detection in the Validation Menu.

Tabular Data Manager, Duplicate Detection in the Validation Menu

The function allows to detect clones of you data in specified columns or in all the columns of your file, if the duplicates match in columns.

Tabular Data Manager, Selection of the columns for the Duplicate detection

After detecting the duplicate, the original table will appear without the row corresponding to the family duplicate:

Tabular Data Manager, Tabular resource without duplicate

Apply Template

The Apply Template function allows to apply a temple to your tabular resource. Your resource should follow the structure define in the template......................

File:Template.png

Tabular Data Manager, Applying the template to a tabular resource

Structure Menu

Table type

This function allows to define the table type of your resource.

Tabular Data Manager, Tabular Data Manager table type

In case the structure of the table will not support one of the selected table type, the operation will save and the validation tab on the left panel will report the errors.

Tabular Data Manager, Validation panel and invalidated operations

Labels

Users can change all the column labels of the tabular resource all at once using the Labels button.

Column type

this is a very important function to define the type of columns of your table and therefore properly manipulate its data. Users can define per column the column type and its attributes.

Tabular Data Manager, Column type

Tabular Data Manager, Attribute type

Add column

By specifying a label and a column type, users can add a column per time to their tabular resources.

Tabular Data Manager, Add column

Delete column

The left side panel allows to select the column to delete all at once.

Tabular Data Manager, Delete column

Merge column

Users can decide to merge two column and to create a new one. The original separated columns can be deleted or not. A new column label has to be specified.

Tabular Data Manager, Merge column

Split Column

The column of a tabular resource can be split accordingly to different criteria: 'char_sequence', 'index', and 'regex'.

Here below, an example of the application of the CHAR SEQUENCE method in the Column Split function:

Tabular Data Manager, split column and char sequence method

The original table is transformed into:

Tabular Data Manager, split column by char sequence

Here below an example of the application of the INDEX method in the Column Split function:

Tabular Data Manager, split column and index method

The original table is transformed into:

Tabular Data Manager, split column by index

Here below an example of the application of the REGEX method in the Column Split function:

Tabular Data Manager, split column and regex method

The original table is transformed into:

Tabular Data Manager, split column by regex

N.B. Value is a POSIX Regular Expression

Normalize

If you want to normalize the data in your Tabular resource, you can continue as follow:

Tabular Data Manager, normalize

Considering the structure of our table you will name a Normalized and a Value column. The system will create these two new columns at the end of the normalization.

In the pop-up setting windows, the Normalized Column will be the column containing the normalized variables, whereas the Value column will contain the values of the normalized data (i.e Normalized column: 'Year', Value column:'Quantity' and columns to normalize '1998', '1999' and '2000' )

The original table is transformed into:

Tabular Data Manager, normalize result

Denormalize

A table resource can be denormalized using the Denormalize button in the Structure menu of the Curation tab:

The original table, can be transformed by selecting the Value column and the Attribute column.

Using the normalized table of the previous section, by setting 'Quantity' as value column and 'Year' as attribute column we will obtain the original table:

Tabular Data Manager, denormalized table

Helper Menu

Extract Codelist

There is the possibility to extract a codelist from Tabular resources. Let's use the table below:

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist

Click on the Extract codelist button, in the Helper menu of the Curation tab:

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist button

Select the columns, for example 'code' and 'name':

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist source column

Define the target column, for example new column:

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist target column

Define the label and the type of your new column:

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist target new column

The target column should appear as follow:

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist target fill column

Choose a name for the new codelist:

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist detail

A new codelist is extracted now:

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist result

If you want to directly connect the tabular resource to the codelist extracted, you must set attach on detail so:

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist attach

The original tabular resource is attached to new codelist:

Tabular Data Manager, extract codelist result by attach

Note: in this case the extracted codelist is set to final automatically.

Modify

The modify tab includes several functions in the Table menu to work on your Tabular Resources (i.e group, add, delete, unify table etc...)

Tabular Data Manager, Modify tab

Table Menu

Union

In the Table menu, the Union button allows to relate one or more columns of your tables resources in one file.

Here below, an example of the functionality of the Union button with one tabular resources.

Selection of the files:

Tabular Data Manager, Selection of the files

Selection of the column within the table resources to unify:

Tabular Data Manager, Columns selection

The original table has been transformed into:

Tabular Data Manager, Table resulting from the Union function

A final pop-up window will inform you about the success of the union procedure.

Note: The system will report a question mark for the fields that are not involved in the union.The same if,in the selected column, there are empty fields.

Group by

In the Table menu, the Group by button allows to group the columns of your Tabular Resource accordingly to their average, counts, max, min etc...

Once selected the table to work on, the system asks to tick from the column list that one the grouping must replies on:

Tabular Data Manager, Selection of the column to apply the grouping criteria

then define the criteria, from the aggregation list, by selecting the method and the reference column:

Tabular Data Manager, Aggregation list criteria

Tabular Data Manager, Column aggregation by the selected criteria

The original table has been transformed into:

Tabular Data Manager, Result of the grouping by function

Time aggregation

The Time aggregation allows to order your data according to a time dimensional column. Before execute this function, you need to be sure that the column you want to aggregate is a time dimension type. You can modify your column by using the Column type function in the Structure menu of the Curation tab.

First select one or more columns you want to use to apply the function

Tabular Data Manager,Time aggregation for the time dimensional column

then define the criteria, from the aggregation list, by selecting the method and the reference column/s:

Tabular Data Manager, Period of time and aggregation criteria to apply on the column/s

Tabular Data Manager, Processed table results

Add row

You can add a row to your Tabular resource by clicking on the button Add row.

Tabular Data Manager, Adding rows to your Tabular Resource

Delete row

You can delete a row or multiple rows in your Tabular resource by fist selecting and then clicking on the button Delete row.

Delete duplicate

You can delete duplicates in one or more columns in your table by selecting the relative columns in the column list.

External links

• POSIX Regular Expression