Adventures in Machine Learning

Master Data Analysis Using Pandas Concat Function

Union Pandas DataFrames using Concat

Do you need to combine two or more Pandas DataFrames into one? The Concat function is an efficient tool that allows you to merge multiple data frames easily.

In this article, we’ll explore how to merge data frames using the Concat function and assign index values to the resulting data frame.

Creating the first DataFrame

To start, let’s create a sample DataFrame that we can use to demonstrate the process of merging data frames.

import pandas as pd
df1 = pd.DataFrame({
   'Product Code': ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D'],
   'Product Name': ['Product A', 'Product B', 'Product C', 'Product D'],
   'Price': [100, 200, 150, 300],
   'In Stock': [10, 20, 15, 25]
})

The above code will create a DataFrame called df1 that contains information about four different products. The DataFrame includes columns for the product code, product name, price, and the number of items in stock.

Creating the second DataFrame

Now, let’s create a second DataFrame for merging with the first.

df2 = pd.DataFrame({
   'Product Code': ['E', 'F', 'G', 'H'],
   'Product Name': ['Product E', 'Product F', 'Product G', 'Product H'],
   'Price': [250, 150, 300, 200],
   'In Stock': [30, 15, 20, 10]
})

The above code creates a second DataFrame called df2, which also contains information on four different products.

The DataFrame has the same columns as df1, with different values for the product code, product name, price, and the number of items in stock.

Union Pandas DataFrames using Concat

Now that we have created our two data frames, we can easily merge them into a single data frame using the Concat function.

df_combined = pd.concat([df1, df2])

The above code will merge the two data frames and create a new data frame called df_combined.

The Concat function combines the rows from both data frames to create one large data frame. Example of

Union Pandas DataFrames using Concat

Let’s take a closer look at how it all works with a more comprehensive example.

Creating DataFrames

import pandas as pd
df1 = pd.DataFrame({
   'Product Code': ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D'],
   'Product Name': ['Product A', 'Product B', 'Product C', 'Product D'],
   'Price': [100, 200, 150, 300],
   'In Stock': [10, 20, 15, 25]
})
df2 = pd.DataFrame({
   'Product Code': ['E', 'F', 'G', 'H'],
   'Product Name': ['Product E', 'Product F', 'Product G', 'Product H'],
   'Price': [250, 150, 300, 200],
   'In Stock': [30, 15, 20, 10]
})

Concatenating DataFrames

df_combined = pd.concat([df1, df2])

The above code will merge the two data frames to create a new data frame called df_combined.

Assigning Index Values

By default, the Concat function preserves the original index values from each DataFrame. This can sometimes lead to duplicate index values when combining data frames.

To prevent this, we can set the ignore_index parameter to True when using the Concat function.

df_combined = pd.concat([df1, df2], ignore_index=True)

The above code will merge the two data frames and assign a new incremental index value to each row.

Final Thoughts

Combining Pandas DataFrames using the Concat function is an effective way to simplify large data sets and make them easier to manage. By understanding how to merge DataFrames using the Concat function and how to assign index values, you can create comprehensive datasets quickly and easily.

Moreover, the flexibility of Pandas DataFrames ensures efficient dealing with data in various formats.

Concatenating Additional DataFrames

In the previous sections, we learned about merging two DataFrames using the Concat function. If you have more than two DataFrames, however, it’s possible to concatenate them using the same function.

In this section, we’ll explore how to concatenate multiple DataFrames and the syntax used.

Concatenating multiple DataFrames

Let’s create three DataFrames df1, df2, and df3 that need to be concatenated into a single DataFrame.

df1 = pd.DataFrame({
   'Product Code': ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D'],
   'Product Name': ['Product A', 'Product B', 'Product C', 'Product D'],
   'Price': [100, 200, 150, 300],
   'In Stock': [10, 20, 15, 25]
})
df2 = pd.DataFrame({
   'Product Code': ['E', 'F', 'G', 'H'],
   'Product Name': ['Product E', 'Product F', 'Product G', 'Product H'],
   'Price': [250, 150, 300, 200],
   'In Stock': [30, 15, 20, 10]
})
df3 = pd.DataFrame({
    'Product Code': ['I', 'J', 'K', 'L'],
    'Product Name': ['Product I', 'Product J', 'Product K', 'Product L'],
    'Price': [1000, 800, 1200, 1500],
    'In Stock': [50, 35, 45, 60]
})

To concatenate multiple DataFrames into a single one, we can pass a list of DataFrames to the concat function as shown below:

df_concatenated = pd.concat([df1, df2, df3])

The above code will create a DataFrame by concatenating all three DataFrames, df1, df2, and df3.

Adding DataFrames within brackets

When concatenating data frames, it’s important to ensure that they have the same columns and datatypes. Pandas DataFrames concatenate along axis 0 (rows) by default, and it’s crucial to align them.

You can add DataFrames inside brackets to establish proper concatenation. Let’s take a look at an example.

import pandas as pd
df1 = pd.DataFrame([[1, 2], [3, 4]], columns=list('AB'))
df2 = pd.DataFrame([[5, 6], [7, 8]], columns=list('CD'))
df_concatenated = pd.concat([df1, df2], axis=1)

In the above example, we added the axis parameter and set it to 1 to concatenate the DataFrames along the columns. When concatenating DataFrames along the columns axis, the number of rows must be the same in all the DataFrames.

In cases where the DataFrames have different rows, missing values will be introduced.

df3 = pd.DataFrame([[9, 10], [11, 12], [13, 14]], columns=list('AB'))
df_concatenated = pd.concat([df1, df2, df3], axis=1)

In this example, the df3 DataFrame has three rows while df1 and df2 have two.

The result will be a DataFrame with missing values since df3 does not contain the values to fill the additional column.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve learned how to concatenate DataFrames using the Pandas concat function. The ability to concatenate DataFrames in Pandas is uncomplicated, and it can be used to join datasets with ease.

By utilizing the basic guidelines provided in this article, you can optimize this functionality as your needs expand. For further insights, visit the Pandas documentation for more details on the concatenation process.

Resources:

In summary, Pandas’ Concat function is an invaluable tool for combining multiple data frames into a single one. The concat function combines rows by default, and proper data preparation is necessary to achieve desired results through columns.

It’s important to ensure that data frames have similar columns and data types when concatenating. We explored various examples and scenarios for concatenating data frames for effective data analysis.

Overall, Pandas’ Concat function can make complex data analysis easier by reducing time and freeing up flexibility for better data processing.

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