The Stack/Split Columns
task enables you to either stack or split columns.
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When stacking columns, the output
data set is created by restructuring the selected columns in the input
data set so that these columns are transposed into observations. You
can use the output data set to analyze values across multiple columns
of the input data set. If you group the observations, the selected
columns are divided into subgroups that are based on the unique combinations
of the grouping values. Each subgroup forms a row of the output data
set.
This functionality
is useful when you have a data set in which each observation contains
the same type of data in multiple columns and you want to analyze
the data across several columns. For example, you could transpose
columns that contain monthly temperature readings for various locations
across a geographic region. The output data set would contain the
monthly temperature readings by location in a single column.
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When splitting columns, the output
data set is created by splitting the unique combination of values
of the selected columns. You can use the output data set to individually
analyze the columns that contain multiple rows of the input data set.
This functionality
is useful when you have a data set in which one column contains multiple
observations for different subgroups and you want to split the subgroup
measures into separate columns. For example, you could transpose a
column that contains the monthly temperature readings for various
locations across a geographic region. The output data set would contain
the monthly temperature readings for each location in a column for
each month.