Table of Contents
Introduction
Messy data is useless data – this is the first thing that comes into your
mind when you encounter chaotic, sloppy, and irregular content. Extra
spaces, duplicate records, misspellings, or unstructured
format need to be cleaned up before starting a proper data analysis.
You’ll agree that being a data analyst does not imply cleaning “dirty”
material, though this process takes the major part of analytic time.
That’s why it’s critical to prepare it first. In this article, we’ll learn
about a powerful tool called OpenRefine and how it can help us in data
cleaning.
About OpenRefine
OpenRefine software, a former Google Refine, is a robust desktop application that will help to fix inconsistencies in your extracted content and transform it into a clean, near-perfect source for further analysis.
OpenRefine has the following features:
Today there are a lot of OpenRefine alternatives that can be used for content transformation, but as a rule, they are pretty expensive. On the other hand, OpenRefine is a free and open-source tool that can help you clean up your content and not only. OpenRefine also enables you to:
While using OpenRefine, keep in mind the following key points:
But that’s not all, there are extra services that you can use only after downloading OpenRefine extensions. OpenRefine has lots of tutorials and a large community ready to help you with any matter, from the simplest to the toughest one.
Installing OpenRefine
To download OpenRefine on your computer, make the following steps:
- Go to http://openrefine.org/download.html to download and install it.
- Run it by clicking on openrefine.exe
- Wait until it is opened with Firefox or Chrome (make sure that one of these browsers is set as a default one)
- If OpenRefine is not automatically opened, point your web browser at http://127.0.0.1:3333/ or http://localhost:3333/ and run it again.
Creating a project
Let’s start with creating a project with OpenRefine.
- Prepare a .csv file with content to be cleaned
- Run OpenRefine
- Select the Create Project tab
- Click on the Choose Files button and select the file.
- Click on Next to begin the uploading.
- When the file is uploaded, name the project and click on Create Project.
A screen with your data log will appear where you can see your content to be cleaned.
- Change the Settings available on the bottom of the screen according to your needs.
- Click on Create Project to finish importing.
Conclusion
Whether you’re dealing with empty, unstructured, or incorrect content, you need extra tools to clean up and enhance data for accurate analysis. At DataOX we’ll help you get rid of “junk” data and create a culture of making business development decisions based only on high-quality insights. Just schedule a free consultation with our expert to learn more about our services and technologies.
