copydata 0.1.4
CLI to compare two tabular datasets and produce a concise markdown report
License: MIT
Requires Python: >=3.8

# Data Whisperer

**Intelligent dataset comparison that reveals what truly changed.**

Data Whisperer (`Copydata`) is a command-line tool that compares two versions of tabular datasets and generates insightful reports highlighting meaningful changes. Unlike simple diff tools, it understands your data's structure and semantics.

## Features

- 🔍 **Smart Column Matching** - Automatically detects renamed columns using similarity scoring
- 📊 **Statistical Analysis** - Compares numeric distributions, outliers, and trends
- 🏷️ **Category Tracking** - Identifies added/removed categories and value changes
- 📈 **Change Scoring** - Prioritizes the most significant changes for quick review
- 📝 **Multiple Formats** - Supports CSV, Excel (XLS/XLSX), and JSON files
- 📄 **Flexible Output** - Generate markdown reports and/or machine-readable JSON

## Installation

```bash
pip install copydata==0.1.3
```

## Quick Start

Compare two datasets:

```bash
copydata old_data.csv new_data.csv
```

Save report to file:

```bash
copydata data_v1.xlsx data_v2.xlsx --output-save --output report.md
```

Generate both markdown and JSON output:

```bash
copydata before.csv after.csv --output-save --json
```

## Usage

```bash
copydata [-h] [--output OUTPUT] [--output-save] [--json] [--rename-threshold THRESHOLD] a b
```

### Arguments

- `a` - Path to dataset A (older version)
- `b` - Path to dataset B (newer version)

### Options

- `--output`, `-o` - Output filename for markdown report (default: `copydata_report.md`)
- `--output-save` - Save reports to files instead of printing to stdout
- `--json`, `-j` - Also generate JSON output with full comparison data
- `--rename-threshold` - Similarity threshold for detecting renamed columns (default: 0.82)

## What Does It Analyze?

### Summary Statistics
- Row count changes
- Overall null value percentages
- Duplicate row detection

### Structural Changes
- Added columns
- Removed columns
- Renamed columns (with similarity scores)

### Column-Level Analysis

**For Numeric Columns:**
- Mean, median, and standard deviation
- Min/max value changes
- Outlier detection using IQR method
- Percentage changes in key metrics

**For Categorical Columns:**
- Unique value counts
- Top value distributions
- New categories added
- Categories removed
- Common category overlap

## Example Output

```markdown
# Data Whisperer Report

## Summary
- Row count A: 1000, B: 1200, Δ: 200
- Total nulls A: 50 (0.50%), B: 75 (0.62%)
- Duplicate rows A: 5, B: 3, Δ: -2

## Structural Changes
- Added columns (1): customer_segment
- Removed columns (0): None
- Probable renames (1):
  - user_id -> customer_id (similarity 0.850)

## Column Level Changes
### revenue
- Type A: numeric, Type B: numeric
- Mean: A: 1.23K, B: 1.45K
- Mean % change: 17.89%
- Outliers A: 12, B: 18
```

## Requirements

- Python 3.7+
- pandas
- numpy

## Use Cases

- **Data Pipeline Monitoring** - Track changes in daily/weekly data refreshes
- **Model Retraining** - Understand how training data evolved between versions
- **ETL Validation** - Verify transformations produced expected changes
- **Schema Migration** - Document structural changes during database updates
- **Data Quality Auditing** - Identify unexpected changes in production data

## Advanced Features

### Column Rename Detection

Data Whisperer uses fuzzy string matching to detect renamed columns. Adjust sensitivity:

```bash
copydata old.csv new.csv --rename-threshold 0.9  # More strict
copydata old.csv new.csv --rename-threshold 0.7  # More lenient
```

### Type Inference

Automatically classifies columns as:
- **Numeric** - For statistical analysis
- **Categorical** - For tracking value changes (≤20 unique values)
- **Text** - For high-cardinality strings
- **Datetime** - For temporal data

## Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

## License

MIT License

## Author

Data Whisperer - Making dataset evolution transparent and actionable.

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*Focus on meaningful numeric shifts, category churn, and schema changes.*