As a general rule of thumb, after inputting the dataset into Alteryx, the starter tool is the Select tool.
Using the Select tool allows you to select the fields you want to include or exclude in your analysis. Excluding fields optimize processing speed/time.
For example, here I’ve deselected the fields related to shipping, Ship Date and Ship Mode. You can tell by the way the boxes on the left hand side are not checked off:
The Select tool also allows you to change the data types, names, and order of the fields. You can tell that changes have been made because they will be highlighted in yellow.
Changing the data types allows for different types of analysis, for example, to use a field in a calculation, the data type would have to be numeric. Sometimes changing the name of a field may also be necessary in order to reduce confusion about what the data is and also match the field names if the same information is named differently in different sources. For example, one file might have countries listed under a field called “country” while in another file, the list of countries is called “name”.
Reordering the columns can be useful not only for visual purposes but also for ease of use or strategic grouping. I recommend sorting the fields either based on the schema of the client’s data source or arranging the columns in terms of importance and grouping them based on how they are related to each other.
For example, country code, city, state, and postal code are placed one after the other; this make the information more easily digestible.
Some tools such as the Join tool have an embedded Select.
An embedded Select will appear in the configuration window and allow you to do the same functions of including and excluding fields, reordering fields, renaming fields, and changing data types in the same step rather than requiring another Select tool. Also notice how the fields I chose to exclude in the Select tool do not show up in the embedded Select in the Join tool and the changes to the field names are reflected as well:
Hope this helps you understand the Select tool a little better. With that, let’s analyze away!