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Tableau generally works best when input data is in "normalized" format, rather than cross-tab. This is also referred to as converting from "wide format" to "long format".

That is, converting from:

enter image description here

To:

enter image description here

Tableau provides a "reshaping tool" for Excel users, but if you don't have Excel, you're stuck.

So how can you get a spreadsheet into this format, without using Excel?

1 Answer

0 votes
by (47.2k points)
  • You can use the handy google sheet script as mentioned in this link

image

  • Step 1: Copy the script to the clipboard

/*

normalizeCrossTab: Converts crosstab format to normalized form. Given columns abcDE, the user puts the cursor somewhere in column D.

The result is a new sheet, NormalizedResult, like this:

a     b c    Field Value

a1    b1 c1   D D1

a1    b1 c1   E E1

a2    b2 c2   D D2

a2    b2 c2   E E2

...

Author: 

Steve Bennett

[email protected]

@stevage1

Licence: Public Domain

*/

function start() {

  var html = HtmlService.createHtmlOutput(

    '<style>ol { padding-left: 1.5em; }</style>' + 

    '<script src="//code.jquery.com/jquery-1.11.2.min.js"></script>' +

    '<script>' + 

    'function allDone(msg) { ' +

    '  $("#normalizeBtn").hide();' +

    '  $("#datacols-output").html("<p>Your normalized data is in a sheet called NormalizedResult. If you run the normalization again, that sheet will be deleted and replaced.</p>");' +

    '};' +

    'function gotCols(cols) { ' + 

    '  $("#datacols-output").html(\'<p>These will be your dependent variables:</p><ul id="datacols"></ul>\'); ' + 

    '  $("#normalizeBtn").show();' +

    '  $.each(cols, function() {' + 

    '    $("#datacols").append($("<li>").text(this)); ' + 

    '  });' + 

    '  $("#datacols").after("<p>If they don\'t look right, move the cursor and press <i>Continue</i>.</p>"); ' + 

    '}' + 

    '</script>' + 

    '<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://ssl.gstatic.com/docs/script/css/add-ons.css">' +

    '<h2>Convert cross-tab</h2>'+

    '<p>This macro converts <i>cross-tab</i> data which has multiple dependent variables (eg, observations, sales figures) per row into a <i>normalized</i> format with one dependent variable per row.</p>' + 

    '<p>The name of each dependent variable becomes the value of a new column called <code>Field</code> and its value goes in a column called <code>Value</code>.</p>' +

    '<ol><li>Move <b>all independent variable columns to the left</b></li>' + 

    '    <li>Place the <b>cursor in the first dependent variable column</li></ol>'+

    '<p><button onClick="google.script.run.withSuccessHandler(gotCols).getDataColumns();">Continue</button></p>' + 

    '<p id="datacols-output"></p>' +

    '<p><button id="normalizeBtn" class="create" style="display:none;" onClick="google.script.run.withSuccessHandler(allDone).normalizeCrosstab(true);">Normalize</button></p>' + 

  '<br/><p><a target="_blank" href="http://kb.tableausoftware.com/articles/knowledgebase/denormalize-data">More information</a></p>')

      .setSandboxMode(HtmlService.SandboxMode.IFRAME)

      .setTitle('Normalize cross-tab')

      .setWidth(300);

  SpreadsheetApp.getUi() // Or DocumentApp or FormApp.

      .showSidebar(html);

}

function onOpen() {

  var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();

  var items = [

    {name: 'Normalize Crosstab', functionName: 'start'},

  ];

  ss.addMenu('Normalize', items);

}


 

function normalizeCrosstab(really) {

  if (!really) {

    return start();

  }

  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet(); 

  var rows = sheet.getDataRange();

  var numRows = rows.getNumRows();

  var values = rows.getValues();

  var firstDataCol = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveRange().getColumn();

  var dataCols = values[0].slice(firstDataCol-1);

  var resultssheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName("NormalizedResult");

  if (resultssheet != null) {

    SpreadsheetApp.getActive().deleteSheet(resultssheet);

  }

  var header = values[0].slice(0, firstDataCol - 1);

  var newRows = [];

  

  header.push("Field");

  header.push("Value");

  newRows.push(header);

  for (var i = 1; i <= numRows - 1; i++) {

    var row = values[i];

    for (var datacol = 0; datacol < dataCols.length; datacol ++) {

      newRow = row.slice(0, firstDataCol - 1); // copy repeating portion of each row

      newRow.push(values[0][firstDataCol - 1 + datacol]); // field name

      newRow.push(values[i][firstDataCol - 1 + datacol]); // field value

      newRows.push(newRow);

    }

  }

  var newSheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().insertSheet("NormalizedResult");

  var r = newSheet.getRange(1,1,newRows.length, header.length);

  r.setValues(newRows);

};

function getDataColumns() {  

  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet(); 

  var rows = sheet.getDataRange();

  var values = rows.getValues();

  var firstDataCol = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveRange().getColumn();

  var dataCols = values[0].slice(firstDataCol-1);

  return dataCols;

}

  • Step 2: Upload your spreadsheet to Google Sheets

  • Step 3: Tools > Script Editor and Click “Spreadsheet”

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