Introduction to Importing Data in Python

In this chapter, you'll learn how to import data into Python from all types of flat files, which are a simple and prevalent form of data storage. You've previously learned how to use NumPy and pandas—you will learn how to use these packages to import flat files and customize your imports.

You've learned how to import flat files, but there are many other file types you will potentially have to work with as a data scientist. In this chapter, you'll learn how to import data into Python from a wide array of important file types. These include pickled files, Excel spreadsheets, SAS and Stata files, HDF5 files, a file type for storing large quantities of numerical data, and MATLAB files.

In this chapter, you'll learn how to extract meaningful data from relational databases, an essential skill for any data scientist. You will learn about relational models, how to create SQL queries, how to filter and order your SQL records, and how to perform advanced queries by joining database tables.