When Exploring a dataset can we have a fixed list of columns - like Excel freeze panes

Peter_R_Knight
Level 2
When Exploring a dataset can we have a fixed list of columns - like Excel freeze panes

I often have datasets with many columns. I can choose which ones to show, but even so, it would be helpful to be able to freeze a few column on the left so they are always shown even when you scroll right. in the select displayed columns dialog you would just need to be able to select frozen columns.

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tgb417

@Peter_R_Knight 

As a long time user of MS Excel.  I understand what you are talking about when it comes to freezing panes.  Particularly on the left-hand side of the screen.

I think you are right.  All you have in DSS is the ability to include some columns or not.  Filters of the sample and filters of rows that appear in the sample. And then sorting rows by one column.  I've not found an MS Excel like freeze panes option.  

You can move the column order around.

If you want to go to the charts you can also produce a pivot table.

That said, personally, I've not missed the freeze pains option of MS Excel that much either.  I only tend to use it to do confirmation work and manual update work on individual rows in MS Excel.  Can you share a bit more about your use case?  How big is the dataset you are working with?

--Tom
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Peter_R_Knight
Level 2
Author

Here are 2 recent use cases:

1) HR data where I want to see first and last name while I compare many other columns - my dataset has about 100 cols. 

2) aircraft engines dataset where I want to be able to see the engine serial number and operator while comparing many other parameters.

Obviously such things can be worked around, but it as annoyance that sometimes makes me have to export data where I want to be able to stay within DSS.

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tgb417

@Peter_R_Knight 

Yeah.  I get it.  I think in those cases I'd tend to do some column re-ordering and column hiding in DSS.  

That said I do get the beauty of the MS Excel Solution to this problem. 

If this is just for ease of visualizing the data, maybe exporting to MS Excel. If I have to do this only once in a while and the dataset is small enough to fit in MS Excel.  If I had to do it a lot and the data was in a database.  I'd probably then use MS Power Query (from the Data Menu in MS Excel) to pull data from the same source of data that DSS is using.  Just using MS Excel as a data visualization tool.  

--Tom
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