Chapter 1 : Data Handling using Pandas
- Introduction to Pandas
- Data Structure in Pandas
- Introduction to Series
- Creation of Series
- Series Attributes
- Mathematical operations on Series
- Head and Tail Function
- Slicing in Series
- Selection in Series
Introduction to Pandas
Pandas stands for “Panel Data Analysis” and it is one of the python open source library for data analysis. This library is created by Wes Mackinney.
What is Data Analysis?
Data Analysis is the process in which big set of data is evaluated by using various tools, so that meaningful information can be fetched and utilized.
How to use Pandas library?
In order to work with Pandas, we have to import this library using import statement. So, in order to use Pandas in our program, we write the following line:
import pandas as pd
where pd is an alias name for pandas library. (alias name is a short name given for a library)
Why use Pandas for Data Analysis?
- It is very helpful in extracting meaningful set of information from big and bulky data sets.
- In pandas, data can be easily organised in a tabular structure containing rows and columns. This makes the analysis of data more simplified.
- It supports various data formats, like numbers, strings, decimals etc.
- Based on present set of data it also helps in predicting the future trends. So, it is therefore having TIME-SERIES functionality.
