Pandas is a powerful data manipulation library for Python that simplifies and speeds up data transformation operations. However, like any tool, it can be challenging to use without the right knowledge.
To help you get started with this library, we have compiled some useful tips for your next data exploration or analysis.
Resetting Index in Pandas After Dropping NaN Values
When working with real-world data, it is common to encounter missing values. In pandas, the dropna() function can be used to remove rows with missing values.
This function, however, ordinally depends the index of the data. To address this, there is a need to reset the index.
Here’s how:
Assume we have a dataset of basketball players:
| Player | Height(cm) | Points | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Doe | 190 | 17 | 9 |
| Jane Doe | 180 | 14 | NaN |
| Mike Johnson | 185 | 12 | 7 |
To remove the row with missing values in the ‘Rebounds’ column:
df = df.dropna(subset=['Rebounds'])The resulting dataframe will have an incrementing index value but what if we want to reset the index?
df = df.dropna(subset=['Rebounds']).reset_index(drop=True)We add the ‘reset_index’ function, and use the parameter ‘drop=True’ to discard the old index and make the new index the default.
Additional Resources for Common Tasks in Pandas
Pandas has many features that make it an excellent tool for data manipulation. However, it can be overwhelming to learn all the functions available.
Here are some resources for learning common tasks in pandas:
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Pandas documentation: Pandas’ official documentation is comprehensive and helpful.
It provides many examples, and it explains the various functions step-by-step.
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Kaggle: Kaggle is an online community of data scientists and machine learning practitioners. It hosts many datasets and competitions, and many users share their notebooks that demonstrate how to perform different tasks using pandas.
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TutorialsPoint: TutorialsPoint provides a pandas tutorial that has a comprehensive collection of examples.
You can practice each example interactively on their website.
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DataCamp: DataCamp provides interactive courses and tutorials on pandas. They take a hands-on approach and provide real-world examples to help you learn.
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YouTube: Many content creators share their knowledge of pandas on YouTube.
You can find tutorials, webinars, and other videos that explain different concepts and demonstrate how to solve problems.
Conclusion
Pandas is a powerful library for performing data exploration and analysis. With the tips provided, you should be able to work more efficiently and effectively with pandas.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things as you work with this library. Pandas’ vast functionality gives you many options to explore, and with the right foundation, it can open up new opportunities for your data exploration and analysis.
In conclusion, this article has highlighted two essential pandas tips that can help you work efficiently and effectively with the powerful data manipulation library. The first tip covered resetting index after using the dropna() function to remove missing values from a dataset.
The process of setting the index back to its default using reset_index() was demonstrated. Secondly, we provided five additional resources for learning common tasks in pandas.
These resources include tutorials, YouTube videos, pandas documentation, DataCamp, and Kaggle. By using these resources, you’ll be able to enhance your understanding of pandas’ capabilities, which will increase your productivity with the library when working on data exploration and analysis.
In all, with these tips and resources, you can expedite and streamline your work with pandas.