Create, rename, copy, hide, and remove fields

This article explains how to create and modify fields in your data source.

To apply changes made in the underlying data set to the data source, see Refresh data source fields.

Create a new field

You can create new fields in a data source in two ways:

• Create a new count or count distinct metric from an existing dimension.
• Use calculated fields to create more complex metrics or new dimensions.

Create count and count distinct metrics

To count values in a dimension, follow these steps:

1. Edit the data source.
2. To the right of the field you want to count, click More .
3. Click Count or Count distinct.

The new field is added to the field list and is named "Count (or Count Distinct) of [original field name]." If the data source has a lot of fields, you might have to scroll to see the new field.

Example: Count the number of sales representatives per sales region

Suppose you have a spreadsheet that tracks sales people and the regions they cover:

Employee ID	Sales Region
120134	West
949304	East
039443	South
393930	Central
...	...

 

A simple Google Sheets data source based on this data would look like this:

To find out how many sales people you have in each region, you can create a new metric to count them by following these steps:

1. To the right of Employee ID, click More .
2. Select Count Distinct from the pop-up menu.

This creates a new metric, Count Distinct Employee ID. (You can change this name by clicking the new field.) The new metric can be used in visualizations just as you would any other field.

To edit the formula, at the end of the metric field, click fx.

Rename a field

To rename a field, follow these steps:

1. Edit the data source..
2. Click the name of the field you want to change.
3. Enter a new name.

Effects of renaming a field

When you rename a data source field, the new name is used in the following places:

• Calculated fields that use this field. (Renaming a field won't break calculated fields.)
• The Available Fields panel in reports.
• Charts that use this field.
  • Exception: if you've renamed this field in a chart, the chart continues to use the name you gave it there. (The field name in the chart overrides the field name in the data source.)

Copy a field

To create a copy of a field, follow these steps:

1. Edit the data source.
2. To the right of the field that you want to copy, click More .
3. Click Duplicate.

Hide a field

Hiding a field disables it. To hide a field, follow these steps:

1. Edit the data source.
2. To the right of the field that you want to hide, click More .
3. Click Hide.
   1. To turn the field back on, follow the same steps and click Show.

Effects of hiding a field

Disabling a data source field has the following effects:

• The field appears grayed out in the data source field list.
• The field won't appear in the properties panel in reports.
• Calculated fields that use this field might break if the formula becomes invalid without that field.
• Charts that use this field display an error.
  • You must remove the hidden field from the chart to get it working again.
• Filters that use this field display an error.
  • You must remove or replace the hidden field from the filter to get it working again.

Remove a calculated field

To permanently delete a calculated field, follow these steps:

1. Edit the data source.
2. To the right of the field that you want to delete, click More .
3. Click Remove.

Effects of removing a calculated field

Removing a calculated field has the following effects:

• The field is removed from the data source field list.
• The field is removed from the properties panel in reports.
• Calculated fields that use this field break.
• Charts that use this field break.
  • You must remove the broken calculated field from the chart to get it working again.
• Filters that use this field break.
  • You must remove or replace the removed field from the filter to get it working again.

Related resources

• Model your data
• Calculated fields