Akshay Dhan

Akshay Dhan

Senior Research Fellow at Computer Science Unit, ISI Chennai centre

Unleashing the Power of VisiData: The Ultimate CSV Toolkit

1 minute read

Published:

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files are a common and widely used format for storing and exchanging tabular data. While tools like Excel are often used for working with CSV files, they can be cumbersome and limited when it comes to handling large datasets. Enter VisiData, a versatile and powerful command-line tool that revolutionizes the way we interact with CSV files. Let’s explore the capabilities of VisiData and discover why it become why of my favorites.

Visidata

What is VisiData?

Visidata is a free and open-source tool that provides a spreadsheet-like interface for exploring and analyzing CSV files. It offers a rich set of features that make data manipulation and analysis a breeze. Whether you’re dealing with small or massive datasets, VisiData’s optimized design ensures fast and efficient operations.

VisiData offers powerful data exploration capabilities. With VisiData’s intuitive commands and keyboard shortcuts, you’ll quickly become a data wrangling pro.

VisiData goes beyond simple data exploration. operations like sorting, grouping, and merging datasets. You’ll learn how to calculate statistics, create pivot tables, and even perform complex transformations using Python expressions. VisiData seamlessly integrates with Python, allowing you to leverage its extensive libraries for advanced analysis.

Working with Gigabytes of Data:

Handling large CSV files can be challenging, but VisiData excels in this area. We’ll explore VisiData’s memory-mapping feature, which enables you to work with files that are several gigabytes in size without running into memory limitations. Say goodbye to sluggish performance and hello to lightning-fast data manipulation.

Conclusion:

VisiData is a game-changer when it comes to working with CSV files. Its speed, versatility, and command-line interface provide a refreshing alternative to traditional spreadsheet programs like Excel. Whether you’re a data analyst, scientist, or enthusiast, VisiData empowers you to explore and analyze data

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The Intersection of Atheism, Science, and Belief: Reflections Inspired by Kushi

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I recently watched the Telugu romantic comedy film “Kushi” (2023), and its portrayal of atheists sparked some intriguing thoughts that I felt compelled to share. In the movie, the character representing an atheist is depicted as a “science believer,” which, from my perspective, falls short of capturing the essence of atheism. Allow me to elaborate on this matter further. There’s a distinction between what we can call a “strong atheist” and a “science supporter.” A strong atheist, based on the classification by renowned evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, is a person who asserts with 100% certainty that there is no God. However, even in this extreme case of atheism, one should not automatically assume a strong inclination toward science. The reason I emphasize the distinction between a “supporter of science” and a “believer” is rooted in the core tenets of scientific thinking. Science is fundamentally about inquiry, skepticism, and the pursuit of knowledge based on empirical evidence. It is not a system of belief but a conceptual tool for understanding the world. In science, one cannot merely believe; one must question in order to comprehend.