Transformation
Any step that turns data from one form into another: converting a type, splitting a column, combining tables, or calculating a new field.
A transformation should give the same output every time it runs on the same input. Edits made by hand in a file cannot be rerun or inspected, which is the case for recording each step.
See also
- ETLExtract, transform, load: taking data out of a source system, cleaning and reshaping it, and then writing the result into a destination.
- Data preparationEverything done to raw data to make it ready for a particular use: cleaning, reshaping, combining, and selecting.
- Data lineageThe path data has taken from its original source to where it is now, including each system it passed through and each transformation applied on the way.