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Digital Tools for Research

This guide provides information about digital tools that can be useful for research data management and analysis.

History & Export

Undo/Redo

One of OpenRefine’s most useful (and comforting) features is the “Undo/Redo” tab which tracks each transformation applied to your data. This is particularly useful when a transformation does not turn out as planned or an audit of transformations of your data is required. With the Undo/Redo function, you can feel free to test out transformations with the security of being able to safely and simply roll back those steps.

Located to the left of the grid view, the Undo/Redo tab is in the same pane as the Facet/Filter tab. Under the Undo/Redo tab, each transformation is detailed in a numbered list, with “Create project” always listed as step “0.” To roll back steps, simply click on the step you wish to restore.

NB! If you have rolled back steps and then make a new transformation, the steps you originally rolled back will be written over. For example:

  • You have made 5 transformations and decide to roll back these steps to step 2.
  • You apply a new transformation to one of the columns.
  • Your original steps 3-5 have now been overwritten and cannot be restored.

Adapted from OpenRefine LibGuide (2023). University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Exporting Data

Once you have completed your data cleaning, normalization, and preparation, OpenRefine gives you several options for exporting your data in the format of your choosing.

To export your data

  1. Go to the upper right-hand corner of the browser window and click on the “Export” button.
  2. In the dropdown,pick the format you want. Your options are:

You can also export reconciled data to Wikidata, or export your Wikidata schema for future use with other OpenRefine projects:

For more information, consult the OpenRefine documentation on Exporting.

Exporting History

Another useful feature of OpenRefine is the option to extract your transformation history. This can be useful for applying transformations to a similar set of data or simply preserving a record of your data processing.

To export your history

  1. Go to the Undo/Redo tab to the left of the grid view.
  2. At the top of the pane, click the “Extract...” button.
  3. In the pop-up window, select the steps which you would like to export or simply select the “Select all” button.
  4. From the box on the right, highlight and copy the JSON text.
  5. In a text editor, like Notepad or Notepad++, paste the JSON and save the file.

To apply your saved history

  1. Go to the Undo/Redo tab to the left of the grid view.
  2. At the top of the pane, click the “Apply...” button.
  3. In the pop-up window, simply copy and paste the JSON from your saved file.

Tips

  • All transformations can be exported EXCEPT for direct edits in cells.
  • It can be useful to export your history before rolling back steps to guard against the possibility of accidentally deleting steps.
  • When applying saved history to a new data set, OpenRefine will ignore transformations for which there is no corresponding column or facet in the new data set.

Adapted from OpenRefine LibGuide (2023). University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.