Data Scientist how-to
How to Clean a Dataset for Analysis
Clean data is the foundation of trustworthy results.
Quick answer
Clean data is the foundation of trustworthy results. In short: load; look; remove, then complete the remaining steps below.
Step by step
Load the data and check its size and columns.
Look for missing values and decide how to handle them.
Remove duplicates.
Fix data types such as dates and numbers.
Check for outliers and errors.
Document every change.
Safety reminders for data scientists
- Protect personal and sensitive data
- Follow privacy laws and company policies
- Check models for bias and fairness
- Take screen breaks and use ergonomic setups
Key terms
Dataset · Feature · Model · Training data · Overfitting · Regression: see the full data scientist glossary.