Uniques vs Unique Values: Basic Data Profile vs Field Summary

[jmstampe]

Should there be a difference between the 2? The reason for asking is in comparing a string field:

• Basic Data Profile has 95 Uniques
• Field Summary has 105 Unique Values
• Unique Tool shows 105 unique rows

Basic Data Profile is also turned up to the max on Exact count and size limit.

Using Alteryx 2020.3

[apathetichell]

What do you see on summarize tool - count distinct  non-nulls for that field?

[atcodedog05]

Hi @jmstampe 

Is it possible to share a snapshot of your workflow and explain whats happening.

[jmstampe]

The summarize tool also comes back as 105 for both distinct and non-nulls distinct.  It’s weird, the Basic Profile Tool keeps showing 95 while everything else is 105.  The data comes from an Excel (xlsx) file and is a string, cleansed field.  I wish I could show but unfortunately it’s sensitive data.  I can try to replicate with dummy data.  It’s weird unless I’m misunderstanding what the Unique Values field in the Basic Profile Tool is.

[apathetichell]

I''d say ignore the browse - would this happen to be a larger file? Browse has limits with larger files and without knowing the size of the data I'd chalk this up to the limits of browse.

[atcodedog05]

Hi @jmstampe 

Just to confirm when you say basic profile is it browse tool profile ?

[jmstampe]

@atcodedog05 I’m referring to the Basic Data Profile Tool in Data Investigation. That tool keeps showing unique values of one field as 95 when all the others show 105. I also noticed the Browse Tool has 95 too.  Hm, strange.  Maybe it is more of a sample thing.

[atcodedog05]

@jmstampe 

Interesting I didn't know about this tool.

And sorry its hard say anything without seeing the data.

[apathetichell]

is this a string field. Is it a huge string field. Is it larger than the character limit you set for basic data profile? If the answer to some of these questions are "Yes" you probably have your answer...

[jmstampe]

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@apathetichell wrote:

is this a string field. Is it a huge string field. Is it larger than the character limit you set for basic data profile? If the answer to some of these questions are "Yes" you probably have your answer...

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It’s a string field, max 11 characters long.  Really weird, I can’t explain it.  I took my unique tooled results on that single field and joined it to the unique values from the basic data tool and was able to pull out the 10 records that the basic data tool keeps overlooking.  I have no idea though why it would kick them out unless it’s due to some combination of letters and numbers in the field that makes Alteryx go bonkers.