csvstat is a command-line tool included in the csvkit library, designed to provide descriptive statistics for all columns in a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file. It offers a convenient way to analyze the contents of a CSV file and gain insights into the data distribution, summary statistics, and data quality.
Here are the key features and functionalities of csvstat:
- Descriptive Statistics: csvstat calculates and displays various descriptive statistics for each column in the CSV file. These statistics include measures such as count (number of non-null values), minimum value, maximum value, mean, median, standard deviation, sum, unique values, and mode. By providing an overview of the data distribution, csvstat helps you understand the characteristics and properties of each column.
- Data Quality Assessment: csvstat also provides insights into the quality and integrity of the data in the CSV file. It identifies and reports missing values (null or empty cells) and computes the percentage of missing values for each column. This information is valuable for data cleaning and validation, as it allows you to identify columns with significant missing data or potential data quality issues.
- Data Type Detection: csvstat automatically detects the data types of each column in the CSV file. It recognizes common data types such as integers, floating-point numbers, dates, and strings. By identifying the data types, csvstat helps you ensure that the data is appropriately interpreted and enables you to apply appropriate statistical calculations.
- Customizable Output: csvstat offers various options to customize the output and control the information displayed. You can specify which statistics to include or exclude, choose the format of the output (e.g., JSON, CSV), and control the precision of numerical values. This flexibility allows you to tailor the output to your specific needs and integrate the results into your data analysis workflows.
- Command-Line Interface: csvstat provides a command-line interface (CLI) that accepts a CSV file as input and generates the descriptive statistics. It supports various command-line options and arguments to configure the behavior of the tool. This makes it easy to integrate csvstat into scripts, automation processes, or interactive data analysis sessions.
Integration with csvkit: csvstat is part of the csvkit library, which offers a comprehensive set of tools for working with CSV files. It seamlessly integrates with other csvkit utilities, allowing you to combine different operations and create complex data processing pipelines.
By using csvstat, you can quickly obtain descriptive statistics for each column in a CSV file. It helps you understand the data distribution, identify potential data quality issues, and make informed decisions about data processing and analysis. csvstat is a valuable tool for data exploration, data quality assessment, and preliminary data analysis tasks when working with CSV files.
csvstat Command Examples
1. Show all stats for all columns:
# csvstat data.csv
2. Show all stats for columns 2 and 4:
# csvstat -c 2,4 data.csv
3. Show sums for all columns:
# csvstat --sum data.csv
4. Show the max value length for column 3:
# csvstat -c 3 --len data.csv
5. Show the number of unique values in the “name” column:
# csvstat -c name --unique data.csv