The Pivot Step

The Context for Pivoting

If your data has multiple fields for the same attribute, or if there is unique information stored in the field name (such as the fact a given book is on the Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller list), your data may need to be pivoted.

In our example, we have a week’s worth of bestseller data that has multiple fields all containing the same information about the bestselling books. Additionally, the field names are the bestseller lists. To analyze this data effectively, we need to pivot it so we have a column for book information and a column for bestseller list.

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