Wrangling data in Excel
Download the spreadsheet.
- 3.1.6-songs.csv (CSV file)
The worksheet has information about songs that have reached number one in the US charts. Unfortunately, the data contains some errors.
For example:
- Dates have been captured as strings.
- Some of the label data is inconsistent, and some labels have been combined.
- Some collaborations between artists need to be separated.
- There are missing values.
- Some song titles contain unnecessary artefacts.
Using what you have learned so far, and referring to the support documents linked earlier, try to wrangle the data to match the format shown in the table below. When you handle missing values, consider which should be removed and which can be corrected easily.
Where data is intentionally absent, record this as ‘N/A’ e.g.:
| year | artist | supporting_artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Kenny Loggins | Dolly Parton |
| 1984 | Kenny Loggins | N/A |
| 1985 | Starship | N/A |
As you wrangle this spreadsheet, note any changes you make to the data. This is good practice for documenting your analysis.
When you’ve wrangled your data, share a description of your steps with your fellow learners in the comments.
Reflect on other posts.
- Did they take a similar approach?
- Can you see how they processed the data?
