The Melt function for converting to Tidy Data

If you've read the article on Tidy Data format, or you already know you want to convert a dataset from Wide into Long format, the Melt function is for you. Here is a run-through of an example.

You can open the example wide-format dataset here. The Melt function is under Advanced in the left menu:

Step 1: Tell DataClassroom which columns to combine

Step 2: Name the columns you are about to create

This is naming the variables that will be usable for analysis once the data is in Tidy, or Long, format.

Step 3: Click the Convert button...

The conversion is now complete. Have a good look at the new format of your table, and make sure you understand what happened. You can always go back with the Undo function.

Your new categorical column can be used in graphing and analysis in order to separate data into groups for comparison or visualization.