Change data type

Zoho DataPrep automatically identifies the data type of each column in your dataset during the time of import.

Sometimes due to multiple errors in the dataset, DataPrep may not correctly identify the data type, in which case you can manually override to change the data type of the column using the Change data type transform.

To change the data type of a column

1. Right-click the column name and select the Change data type option from the context menu.

2. The Select datatype dropdown in the Studio panel shows a list of datatypes with match accuracy.

Match accuracy is the percentage of data volume in the selected column that conforms to a data type.

3. DataPrep supports the following data types:

Text
Number
Decimal
Timestamp
Positive number
Date
Date time
Time
Duration
Currency
Length
Temperature
Boolean
Email
URL
List
Map
Percentage

4 . After selecting the datatype, choose the desired format from the available options. Click here to know more about the format options.

Zoho DataPrep uses the format specified by the user to identify if the column data conforms to the data format specified and marks the column data as valid or invalid.

5. Enable the Add constraints toggle to set constraints and determine valid values in a column. The values that do not follow the constraints you have set will be categorised as invalid values in the column. However, they will not be removed. Click here to know more about constraints.

6. If you want to set a column as mandatory, y ou can select the Set as mandatory (not null) checkbox.

7. You can also apply this transform along with constraints on multiple columns. Select the required columns using the

icon under Columns to apply .

8. Choose a datatype from the listed types and click Apply .

9. You can also create your own data type by choosing Create custom data type option.

Format options

The following table covers the available format options for all the data types:

DATA TYPES	FORMAT OPTIONS	SUB-OPTIONS
Text	-	-
Number	Thousands separator	None, Comma (,), Dot (.)
Decimal	Thousands separator	None, Comma (,), Dot (.)
Decimal	Decimal separator	Comma (,), Dot (.)
Time	Time format	Click here to know the supported time formats.
Date	Date format	Click here to know the supported date formats.
Date time	Date time format	Click here to know the supported date time formats.
Timestamp	-	-
Currency	Thousands separator	None, Comma (,), Dot (.)
	Decimal separator	Comma (,), Dot (.)
	Select unit	Click here to know the units supported for currency datatype.
Length	Thousands separator	None, Comma (,), Dot (.)
Length	Decimal separator	Comma (,), Dot (.)
Temperature	Thousands separator	None, Comma (,), Dot (.)
Temperature	Decimal separator	Comma (,), Dot (.)
Boolean	-	-
Email	-	-
URL	-	-
List	-	-
Map	-	-
Duration	Duration format	Click here to know the supported duration formats.
Positive number	-	-
Percentage	-	-

To add a constraint

1. Enable the Add constraints toggle.

2. Select an option from the constraints section and enter the string. The options are displayed based on the data type of the first column you have selected in the Columns to apply field.

The following table lists all the available constraint options for these base data types:

Data type	Option	Sub-options
Text	Wildcard	Contains
		Doesn't contain
		Starts with
		Doesn't start with
		Ends with
		Doesn't end with
		In
		Not in
		Is
		Is not
		Patterns
		Regex
	String length comparators	Length greater than(>)
		Length greater than or equal to(>=)
		Length equal to(=)
		Length not equal to()
		Length lesser than(<)
		Length less than or equal to(<=)
		Length range
	String length values	In
		Not in
Number	Comparators	Greater than(>)
		Greater than or equal to(>=)
		Equal to(=)
		Not equal to()
		Less than(<)
		Less than or equal to(<=)
		Range
	Individual values	In
		Not in
Decimal	Comparators	Greater than(>)
		Greater than or equal to(>=)
		Equal to(=)
		Not equal to
		Less than(<)
		Less than or equal to(<=)
		Range
	Individual values	In
		Not in
	Precision	NA
Date, Date time	Quarter	Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4
	Month	January to December
	Week	Week 1 to Week 53
	Date	NA
	Date & time	NA
	Hours	0 to 23
	Day of the week	Sunday to Saturday
	Day of the month	1 to 31
	Period(AM/PM)	AM, PM
	Range	NA

3. When you add more than one constraint, the logical operators, AND or OR appear next to the constraints. You can click to toggle the logical operator between AND and OR.

Criteria expression

Using the logical operators, you can combine the constraints and apply logic to determine the rule of precedence. The final expression is displayed in the Criteria expression box. You can click Edit to alter the default expression using logical operators and parenthesis to specify the precedence or the sequential order as to which constraint should be evaluated first. Click Save after making the required changes.

4. Click Apply .

If you select the Date, Datetime or Time types

You can select the required tiles and construct the Date, Datetime or the Time format.

1. Click to select the different date and time components to build your custom format.

2. You can choose the 24-Hour format by selecting the hour-format icon which would appear at the right end when you hover your mouse over the text box.

3. You can click on the grip portion of the tile (grip icon that appears on hovering your mouse over) and move around the tiles to rearrange them.

4. A live preview of your date, datetime or a time column is shown as you build your format.

The date, datetime or the time format constructed is invalid if one or more of the following conditions are not met:

You have to choose at least one tile from the Day, Month, and Year tiles.
You can use the characters, 'Z' and 'T' only once in a datetime and a time format.
The tiles that follow the character, 'T' must be related to time such as Hours, Mins, Sec.
A datetime and time format must contain an Hours tile.
In a datetime format, you can use either the character, 'Z ' or any one of the T.zone tiles.
You can use any one of the T.zone tiles in a time format.
You can choose only one format from the Day, Month, Year, Hours, Mins, and Sec tiles.

DataPrep allows only the following delimiters while constructing a date or a date-time format.

Date and Datetime delimiters	/ : - , . \s T Z
Time delimiters	/ : - , . \s Z

Note: \s denotes a single whitespace. Please provide an actual space when you provide the input.

If you select the Duration data type

You can select a predefined format from the Duration only or Duration with days sections, choose to modify it, or construct formats using available format strings and delimiters. You can use the modulo % symbol to separate the format strings. Click here to know more about duration formats.

For example, %D.%H:%m:%s.%SSSSSS where %D is number of days, %H is number of hours, %m is number of minutes, %s is number of seconds, and %SSSSSS is number of microseconds.

A duration format is invalid if one or more of the following conditions are not met:

The format cannot be empty.
You can use a string only once in a format.

For example, in the duration format, 301.201.21:12:00, the duration is repeated twice which makes it an invalid duration format.

You can use either microsecond or millisecond in a duration format and not both.

For example, in the duration format, 12 days 1 hours 2 minutes 1.911 seconds 1.910001 seconds, both microseconds and milliseconds are used which renders it an invalid duration format.

SEE ALSO
Create your own custom data type

Manage custom data types

Data types supported in Zoho DataPrep

Date and time formats supported in Zoho DataPrep

Duration formats supported in Zoho DataPrep

Currency units supported in Zoho DataPrep

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