Identifying Incorrect Data Types

Ensuring your data columns have the correct data type is fundamental for reliable analysis. Performing mathematical operations on numbers stored as text, or trying to sort dates chronologically when they're just strings, often leads to errors or incorrect results. Imagine trying to calculate $5 + 10$; the outcome is very different if the '5' is treated as the text character '5' instead of the numerical value 5. Before we can fix these issues, we first need to accurately determine the current data types assigned to each column in our dataset.

Fortunately, most data analysis tools provide simple ways to inspect these types. If you're working with Python and the pandas library, which is very common for data manipulation, you can easily check the data types after loading your data.

Consider a small dataset containing information about products. We can load this into a pandas DataFrame and then inspect the data types using the .dtypes attribute.

import pandas as pd
import io

# Sample data representing content loaded from a file
data = """ProductID,ProductName,Price,StockCount,LastUpdated,IsActive
101,Widget A,"50.99",500,2023-10-26,True
102,Gadget B,"120.50",150,2023-10-25,False
103,Thingamajig,"15.00"," N/A",2023-10-26,True
104,Doohickey,"75.25",200,2023-10-27,True
"""

# Use io.StringIO to simulate reading from a CSV file
df = pd.read_csv(io.StringIO(data))

# Display the data types of each column
print(df.dtypes)

Executing this code will typically print output resembling this:

ProductID        int64
ProductName     object
Price           object
StockCount      object
LastUpdated     object
IsActive          bool
dtype: object

Let's interpret this output to understand the current state of our data:

• int64: This indicates 64-bit integers, meaning whole numbers. In our example, ProductID has been correctly identified as a column of integers.
• object: This is a common data type in pandas, typically indicating that the column contains strings (text). It can also mean the column has a mix of different data types. Notice that ProductName, Price, StockCount, and LastUpdated are all classified as object.
  • ProductName is expected to be text, so object is appropriate here.
  • Price contains numerical values, but because they were enclosed in quotes (e.g., "50.99") in the sample data, pandas has interpreted them as text strings. This is incorrect for calculations.
  • StockCount contains numbers but also includes a non-numeric string " N/A". This inconsistency forces pandas to use the general object type for the whole column, preventing numerical operations.
  • LastUpdated contains dates, but they are currently stored as simple text strings.
• bool: This represents Boolean values, which can be either True or False. The IsActive column was correctly inferred as boolean.

You might also encounter other data types, such as:

• float64: For 64-bit floating-point numbers (numbers with decimals, like $3.14$ or $98.6$).
• datetime64[ns]: Pandas' specific type for date and time values (the [ns] indicates nanosecond precision). Columns need explicit conversion to reach this type.
• category: A specialized type for columns with a limited, fixed set of unique values (like 'Low', 'Medium', 'High').

The object data type often serves as a signal that a column requires attention. While suitable for genuine text fields, its appearance in columns expected to be numeric, date/time, or boolean usually indicates an underlying issue. This could be due to:

• Numbers formatted as text (e.g., '123', '$5.00').
• Dates stored in various string formats (e.g., '10/26/2023', '26-Oct-2023').
• Boolean values represented inconsistently as strings (e.g., 'True', 'false', 'Y', 'N').
• Non-numeric characters mixed within numeric data (e.g., '5 apples', '10 kg').
• Inconsistent representations of missing data (e.g., 'N/A', 'missing', '?').

Here’s a summary table illustrating common scenarios where inferred data types might be incorrect:

Example Column Content	Likely Inferred Type	Desired/Correct Type	Common Reason for Mismatch
'101', '102', '103'	object	int64	Numbers enclosed in quotes or read as text.
'99.9', '15.5', 'NA'	object	float64	Mix of number-like strings and non-numeric text.
'$10.50', '€20.00'	object	float64	Currency symbols prevent direct numeric reading.
'2023-11-01', '01/11/2023'	object	datetime64[ns]	Dates stored as text strings.
'Yes', 'No', 'TRUE'	object	bool	Boolean concepts stored as various text strings.
1, 2, 3 (Postal Codes)	int64	object / category	Numeric codes that shouldn't be used in math.

Using functions or attributes like .dtypes is the main first step in diagnosing data type problems. By examining the output, you can pinpoint which columns are not stored in their appropriate format. Once identified, you're ready to apply the conversion techniques covered in the next sections to ensure your data is structured correctly for meaningful analysis.