Each attribute contains a certain number of unique data (literal) values. A value recode is a user-defined revision, or recoding, of a data value that modifies or replaces all occurrences of the original value. You can also recode a data value to be a null (empty) value.
With value recoding you apply global changes to data formats and structures to ensure that the resulting data values are consistent in their format and presentation. You can then export the recode tables for use in other projects. For example, the Trillium Quality Transformer process in the Control Center can use tables of recoded values to standardize and clean data.
Recoded values are useful, for example, if you are standardizing the way you enter data for customer addresses and postal codes.
- Example:
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An address value can be recoded, such as ROAD to RD or STREET to ST. For an attribute that contains name values, DR. can be recoded as Dr and MR. as Mr.
Each record in a recode table contains two columns:
- Original value
- Recoded value
- Example:
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In this scenario, state names in your State attribute have been entered inconsistently. You want to modify how you output the value Tennessee in this attribute to consistently read as TN.
You do this using a recode table that specifies the original value in one column and the recoded value in a second column. The recode table looks like this:
Original Value
|
Recoded Value
|
TENN
|
TN
|
Tenn
|
TN
|
Ten
|
TN
|
Tn
|
TN
|
To add or edit value recodes
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Open a data source.
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Click the Attribute Details tab.
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In the Attribute Name list, select the attribute that contains the value(s) you want to recode. The Values: attribute_name tab opens below the Data Source: Name panel.
Note: Value recodes can be performed from any Values tabs; for example, drill-downs
from a data source's Pattern chart and Structure > Data Type pie chart.
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On the Values: attribute_name tab, select the value(s) you want to recode by clicking the check box, or anywhere in the row, to highlight it. To select multiple rows, press the Ctrl or Shift key and click the rows you want to recode. To select all rows on a page, click Select Page.
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Click Recode. The Recoded Values for: attribute_name window opens showing all values you selected. The following columns display:
Column |
Description |
Original Value |
Displays the original data values selected for recode.
|
Frequency |
The number of times the value occurs in the attribute.
|
Recoded Value |
Displays either the original data value if the value is not recoded or the recoded data value. If the value has been recoded, the Recoded column displays Yes.
|
Recoded |
Shows if the selected values are recoded. Either Yes or No. If Yes, the recode value displays in the Recoded Value column.
|
Reset |
Click to remove the value recode value and reset it to the original value.
|
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To see only those values that have previously been recoded, select Show:Saved. Otherwise, keep the default of Show: New which shows all values you selected on the Values: attribute_name tab.
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Specify the recoded data values as follows:
To…
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Action
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Recode a single value
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- Click in the Recoded Value column for the value. The field becomes editable.
- Enter the new (recode) data value.
- Enter the new (recode) data value.
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Replace multiple values with the same value
|
- Select the rows you want to recode. To select all rows on a page, click Select Page.
- In the Replace All with: text field, enter the new (recode) value.
- Click Replace All.
- In the Replace All with: text field, enter the new (recode) value.
- Click Replace All.
- Click Replace All.
|
Recode values as blanks (null values)
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For a single value:
In the Recoded Value column for the value you want to recode as blank (null value), delete the text.
For multiple masks:
- Select the rows you want to recode as blanks (null values).
- Ensure the Replace All with: text field is blank and click Replace All.
- Ensure the Replace All with: text field is blank and click Replace All.
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Reset (clear) a single applied recode
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- Click the reset button () for the value you want to reset to its original data value. The value is cleared from the Recoded Value column for the selected value.
Note:
To reset multiple value recodes at the same time, see step 8.
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To reset (clear) applied recodes for multiple values:
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Select the rows you want to reset. To select all rows on a page, click Select Page.
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Click the Reset All button (). A message opens confirming the reset.
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Click Yes. The values are removed from the Recoded Value column for
the selected rows.
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Click Save to save all your recodes and edits and close the Recoded Values window. (Click Cancel to close the Recode Values window without saving changes.)
The Recoded Values window closes. The Value Recode and Value Recode Status columns are added to the Values: attribute_name tab,
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(Optional) Export a value recode look-up table to use the recodes in the Trillium Quality Transformer process in the Control Center. See Exporting Recode Look-Up Tables.