Alternative methods for combining data

In some instances it may be easier or more practical to combine data using a method other than one of the native data combining methods in Analytics.

Note

The suitability of an alternative method depends on your particular data analysis workflow and the nature of your source data. A method may be appropriate in some cases and not others.

Alternative method Description
Join tables using the Data Access window

Join up to ten tables when you import data into Analytics using the Data Access window.

For more information, see Joining tables in the Data Access window.
Combine data using a third-party application Use the native features of source applications such as Excel and Access to combine data, then import the combined data into Analytics.
Round-trip data

If you are having difficulty appending or merging data in Analytics because of inconsistencies between fields containing the same data element, you can try round-tripping the data:

  1. Export one of the Analytics tables to a delimited flat file.
  2. Export and append additional Analytics tables to the first table.
  3. Once you have combined all the data in a single flat file, re-import the flat file to Analytics.

Delimited flat files are less stringent about data structure inconsistencies than Analytics tables:

  • Data type and field length do not need to be the same.
  • Only the data elements, and the number and order of columns, need to be identical.

This approach may require less labor than harmonizing data and fields inside Analytics.