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Easy Data Transform
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Posted by Prion
Jul 27, 2021 at 10:03 AM
A short account of my experience with EasyDataTranform (EDT), which I know is not outliner-related but may still be of interest to some in our circle
https://www.easydatatransform.com
EasyDataTransform is a program that facilitates morphing data that can be represented as a spreadsheet into a different shape. I bought it some time ago thinking it might come in useful some day which promptly did. Only then I realised that it was not a vaguely more powerful version of find-and-replace or some data transformation one can do in Excel but a whole new level. I usually do data transformations one step after the other and more often than I care to admit something messes up and suddenly I realise that a name is now associated with a different address or something like that meaning that makes me lose faith in my data. Even though all different versions may still be around (at least some of them) it is usually so tedious to find what when wrong at which step that it is usually faster to just start over from scratch.
This is precisely where EDT (for lack of a better word) excels. You get a nice flow chart of steps you followed each with a live representation of how the spreadsheet looked after each one of them. You can even branch off and follow a different trajectory to see if a different strategy works better to achieve the same end result.
You can watch an excel file and treat your EDT file as a pipeline that now processes the changed input.
Everything can be saved as a *.transform file that someone else can open who can click through each of your steps and see what you did, which parameters can be used (which can be changed live).
I learned this through two friendly and informative emails with such files attached that I received from the developer Andy Brice of Hyperplan fame, who is also active on this forum. EDT is way more powerful than it may seem at first sight.
I so wished that something as powerful as EDT had been around when I wrote my PhD.
Prion
PS: As it happens, I got an email that Bitsdujour has EDT for 50% off today. If I did not have a license already that would be an instabuy. BTW I am not affiliated with the developer in any way
https://www.bitsdujour.com/software/easy-data-transform/in=todays-deals-home
Posted by Cyganet
Jul 27, 2021 at 11:30 AM
Thank you for the heads up about Bits Du Jour. I had been eyeing EDT for a while, and this was the right price to pull the trigger. My use cases aren’t so complicated, but it’s a great tool to have.
Cheers!
Posted by Amontillado
Jul 27, 2021 at 03:16 PM
Ditto everything you said, Prion.
I got EDT from the Summerfest sale, and I figure I got my money’s worth on my first use.
A bunch of financial information was available from one outfit, but poorly documented in a morass of interlinked 4096 byte records.
The file was one long line of text, 350 megabytes. I think I split it into one record per line. After that, EDT ripped through the data like grumpy taxpayers crossing the Delaware.
There is another office whose data should, but may not, correlate properly with what I have. I’m certain EDT is going to cut through the fog there, too.
It’s not an outlining tool. Many writing tasks require finding order in chaotic data. EDT is a great resource for that work.
Large organizations, bankers, government dweebs, all manner of entities use “big data” against us.
As it turns out, we who are small can use big data to defend against the great, powerful, and sometimes unsympathetically motivated.
As The Kids in the Hall once famously declared, I squish their heads!
Prion wrote:
A short account of my experience with EasyDataTranform (EDT), which I
>know is not outliner-related but may still be of interest to some in our
>circle
>
>https://www.easydatatransform.com
Posted by Andy Brice
Jul 28, 2021 at 09:33 AM
Thanks for the positive feedback!
Andy Brice
Posted by mathew
Jul 28, 2021 at 09:54 PM
Andy,
I just watched your 11 minute YouTube video. So impressive! And elegant. I’m going to buy just to support your great efforts. Even without knowing how I’ll exactly use Easy Data Transform I can see it’s a well designed and beautiful product. That video really does a great job showing off the capabilities.