R group_by() Function from Dplyr (2024)

The group_by() function in R is from dplyr package that is used to group rows by column values in the DataFrame, It is similar to GROUP BY clause in SQL. R dplyr groupby is used to collect identical data into groups on DataFrame and perform aggregate functions on the grouped data.

In general Group by operation involves splitting the data, applying some functions, and finally aggregating the results.

So it is a two-step process, first, you need to perform grouping and then run the aggregate for each group. In this article, I will explain group_by() function syntax and usage on DataFrame with R programming examples.

1.Syntax of group_by() Function

Following is the syntax of the dplyr group_by() function.

# Syntax group bygroup_by(.data, ..., add = FALSE)

Parameters

  • .data – tbl
  • ... – Variables or Columns to group by.
  • add – Defaults to FALSE

Following are the types of tbl (tables) it supports.

  • data.frame
  • data.table
  • SQLite
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL

First, let’s create a DataFrame by reading from a CSV file.

# Read CSV file into DataFramedf = read.csv('/Users/admin/apps/github/r-examples/resources/emp.csv')df

Yields below output.

R group_by() Function from Dplyr (1)

2. Dplyr group_by Function Example

Usegroup_by() function in R to group the rows in DataFrame by columns, to use this function, you have to install dplyr first usinginstall.packages(‘dplyr’)and load it usinglibrary(dplyr).

All functions indplyrpackagetakedata.frameas a first argument. When we usedplyrpackage, we mostly use the infix operator%>%frommagrittr, it passes the left-hand side of the operator to the first argument of the right-hand side of the operator. For example,x %>% f(y)converted intof(x, y)so the result from the left-hand side is then “piped” into the right-hand side.

The group_by() function doesn’t change the dataframe data how it looks and it just returns the grouped tbl (tibble table) where we can perform summarise on. Let’s perform the group by on the column department and summarize to get the sum of salary for each group.

# Load dplyrlibrary(dplyr)# group_by() on departmentgrp_tbl <- df %>% group_by(department)grp_tbl# summarise on groupped data.agg_tbl <- grp_tbl %>% summarise(sum(salary))agg_tbl
R group_by() Function from Dplyr (2)

Note that the output of group_by() and summarise() is tibble hence, to convert it to data.frame use as.data.frame() function.

# Convert tibble to DataFramedf2 <- agg_tbl %>% as.data.frame()

3. Assign Name to the Summarize Column

If you notice above the second output, the summarise column name has sum(salary) which is not user-friendly, let’s see how to add a custom user-friendly name to it. Also, I will rewrite the above 2 statements into a single statement using dplyr piping.

# Assign column Name to the aggregated column# Group by on multiple columnsagg_tbl <- df %>% group_by(department) %>% summarise(total_salary=sum(salary))agg_tbl

Yields below output.

R group_by() Function from Dplyr (3)

4. Using dplyr group_by() on Multiple Columns

The group_by() and summarise() also support group by on multiple columns and summarise on multiple columns.

# Group by on multiple columns# & multiple aggregationsagg_tbl <- df %>% group_by(department, state) %>% summarise(total_salary=sum(salary), total_bonus = sum(bonus), min_salary = min(salary), max_salary = max(salary), .groups = 'drop' )agg_tbl

Yields below output.

R group_by() Function from Dplyr (4)

5. Apply List of Summarise Functions

This example does the group by on department and state columns, summarises on salary and bonus columns, and apply the sum & mean functions on each summarised column.

# Apply multiple summariesdf2<- df[,c("department","state","salary","bonus")]agg_tbl <- df2 %>% group_by(department, state) %>% summarise(across(c(salary, bonus), list(mean = mean, sum = sum)))

Yields below output.

R group_by() Function from Dplyr (5)

6. Summarise All Columns Except Grouping Columns

This example does the group by on department and state columns, summarises on all columns except grouping columns, and apply the sum & mean functions on all summarised columns.

# Summarise all columns except grouping columnsdf2<- df[,c("department","state","age","salary","bonus")]agg_tbl <- df2 %>% group_by(department, state) %>% summarise(across(everything(), list(mean = mean, sum = sum)))agg_tbl

Yields below output.

R group_by() Function from Dplyr (6)

7. Complete Example

Following is a complete example of an R group by function.

# Create Data Framedf = read.csv('/Users/admin/apps/github/r-examples/resources/emp.csv')df# Load dplyrlibrary(dplyr)# group_by() on departmentgrp_tbl <- df %>% group_by(department)grp_tbl# summarise on groupped data.agg_tbl <- grp_tbl %>% summarise(sum(salary))agg_tbl# Assign column Name to the aggregated columnagg_tbl <- df %>% group_by(department) %>% summarise(total_salary=sum(salary))agg_tbl# Group by on multiple columns# & multiple aggregationsagg_tbl <- df %>% group_by(department, state) %>% summarise(total_salary=sum(salary), total_bonus = sum(bonus), min_salary = min(salary), max_salary = max(salary), .groups = 'drop' )agg_tbl# Apply multiple summariesdf2<- df[,c("department","state","salary","bonus")]agg_tbl <- df2 %>% group_by(department, state) %>% summarise(across(c(salary, bonus), list(mean = mean, sum = sum)))# Summarise all columns except grouping columnsdf2<- df[,c("department","state","age","salary","bonus")]agg_tbl <- df2 %>% group_by(department, state) %>% summarise(across(everything(), list(mean = mean, sum = sum)))agg_tbl

8. Conclusion

In this article, you have learned the syntax of group_by() function in R from the dplyr package and how to use this to group the rows in DataFrame and apply the summarise.

Related Articles

References

R group_by() Function from Dplyr (2024)

FAQs

How do I get group by in R? ›

How to Group Data With R
  1. Load the data set into Tibble.
  2. Enter the function group_by to group the information.
  3. Use summarise to analyze your data.
  4. Create a new column with mutate.
  5. Ungroup your data with ungroup().
1 Nov 2022

Which of the following R package contains Groupby () function? ›

Group_by() function belongs to the dplyr package in the R programming language, which groups the data frames.

What is the difference between the group_by and filter function in R? ›

GROUP BY enables you to use aggregate functions on groups of data returned from a query. FILTER is a modifier used on an aggregate function to limit the values used in an aggregation. All the columns in the select statement that aren't aggregated should be specified in a GROUP BY clause in the query.

How do I ungroup data in dplyr? ›

You can use the ungroup() function in dplyr to ungroup rows after using the group_by() function to summarize a variable by group.

Can I group by on a function? ›

The Group By statement is used to group together any rows of a column with the same value stored in them, based on a function specified in the statement. Generally, these functions are one of the aggregate functions such as MAX() and SUM(). This statement is used with the SELECT command in SQL.

How do I get dplyr in R? ›

You can install:
  1. the latest released version from CRAN with install.packages("dplyr")
  2. the latest development version from github with if (packageVersion("devtools") < 1.6) { install.packages("devtools") } devtools::install_github("hadley/lazyeval") devtools::install_github("hadley/dplyr")

How does dplyr group_by work? ›

The group_by() function in R is from dplyr package that is used to group rows by column values in the DataFrame, It is similar to GROUP BY clause in SQL. R dplyr groupby is used to collect identical data into groups on DataFrame and perform aggregate functions on the grouped data.

What does group_by mean in R? ›

group_by.Rd. Most data operations are done on groups defined by variables. group_by() takes an existing tbl and converts it into a grouped tbl where operations are performed "by group". ungroup() removes grouping.

What is the role of groupby () function? ›

groupby() function is used to split the data into groups based on some criteria. pandas objects can be split on any of their axes. The abstract definition of grouping is to provide a mapping of labels to group names. sort : Sort group keys.

What is group_by in Ruby? ›

The group_by() of enumerable is an inbuilt method in Ruby returns an hash where the groups are collectively kept as the result of the block after grouping them. In case no block is given, then an enumerator is returned.

Can you group_by multiple columns in R? ›

Group By Multiple Columns in R using dplyr

Use group_by() function in R to group the rows in DataFrame by multiple columns (two or more), to use this function, you have to install dplyr first using install. packages('dplyr') and load it using library(dplyr) .

Does group_by sort? ›

In this SQL tutorial, we will learn how to use Order by and Group By in SQL. Group By in SQL is used to arrange similar data into groups and Order By in SQL is used to sort the data in ascending or descending order.

How do you split data into a group in R? ›

Split() is a built-in R function that divides a vector or data frame into groups according to the function's parameters. It takes a vector or data frame as an argument and divides the information into groups. The syntax for this function is as follows: split(x, f, drop = FALSE, ...)

How do I group different rows in R? ›

Group By And Summarise Rows In R

The group by ( ) function allows you to aggregate records by selected columns and then based on that aggregation, summarise another column. As an example, let's group by teamID and assign it to a new object. In this case, the new object is called teams_ID. Then, print it.

How do I group and ungroup rows? ›

If you want to ungroup rows, select the rows, and then on the Data tab, in the Outline group, click Ungroup. for the group, and then on the Data tab, in the Outline group, click Ungroup.

Is there alternative to GROUP BY? ›

SQL Sub-query as a GROUP BY and HAVING Alternative

You can use a sub-query to remove the GROUP BY from the query which is using SUM aggregate function. There are many types of subqueries in Hive, but, you can use correlated subquery to calculate sum part.

Can I use GROUP BY without aggregate function? ›

GROUP BY without Aggregate Functions

Although most of the times GROUP BY is used along with aggregate functions, it can still still used without aggregate functions — to find unique records.

How do I run a function group? ›

Procedure
  1. In the Object Navigator (transaction SE80), choose Function Group as the object type.
  2. Enter the name of the new function group and choose Enter.
  3. Choose Yes.
  4. In the Short Text field, enter a description for the new function group and choose Save.

What functions are in dplyr? ›

The package "dplyr" comprises many functions that perform mostly used data manipulation operations such as applying filter, selecting specific columns, sorting data, adding or deleting columns and aggregating data.

What is dplyr package in R? ›

Overview. dplyr is a grammar of data manipulation, providing a consistent set of verbs that help you solve the most common data manipulation challenges: mutate() adds new variables that are functions of existing variables. select() picks variables based on their names. filter() picks cases based on their values.

What does dplyr :: Select do in R? ›

select() is a function from dplyr R package that is used to select data frame variables by name, by index, and also is used to rename variables while selecting, and dropping variables by name.

How do I combine two columns in dplyr? ›

2. Using dplyr to Join Multiple Columns in R
  1. # Syntax inner_join(df1, df2, by=c('x1'='y1', 'x2'='y2')) ...
  2. # Load dplyr package library(dplyr) # Join on multiple columns df2 <- emp_df %>% inner_join( dept_df, by=c('dept_id'='dept_id', 'dept_branch_id'='dept_branch_id')) df2.
24 Aug 2022

How do I summarize grouped data in R? ›

Group By Summarise R Example

The summarise() or summarize() function takes the grouped dataframe/table as input and performs the summarize functions. To get the dropped dataframe use group_by() function. To use group_by() and summarize() functions, you have to install dplyr first using install.

What does dplyr :: filter do in R? ›

The filter() function is used to subset a data frame, retaining all rows that satisfy your conditions. To be retained, the row must produce a value of TRUE for all conditions. Note that when a condition evaluates to NA the row will be dropped, unlike base subsetting with [ .

What do you mean by group value? ›

GROUP VALUE means the value of the Small Cap Group determined in such manner as Executive and the Company shall mutually agree. Sample 1Sample 2. GROUP VALUE means the sum of: (i) the Adjusted Net Asset Value, plus (ii) the Premium.

Where can I use Groupby? ›

GROUP BY clause is used with the SELECT statement. In the query, GROUP BY clause is placed after the WHERE clause. In the query, GROUP BY clause is placed before ORDER BY clause if used any.

Does Groupby ignore NULL values? ›

Group functions ignore the NULL values in the column. To enforce the group functions ti include the NULL value, use NVL function.

What is the use of Groupby clause? ›

The GROUP BY clause causes the rows of the items table to be collected into groups, each group composed of rows that have identical order_num values (that is, the items of each order are grouped together). After the database server forms the groups, the aggregate functions COUNT and SUM are applied within each group.

What is GROUP BY () in pandas library? ›

What is the GroupBy function? Pandas' GroupBy is a powerful and versatile function in Python. It allows you to split your data into separate groups to perform computations for better analysis.

What is grid grouping? ›

The Grid component supports grouping data by one or several column values. Use the corresponding plugins or UI (Group Panel and column headers) to manage the grouping state and group data programmatically.

How do you split an array in Ruby? ›

split is a String class method in Ruby which is used to split the given string into an array of substrings based on a pattern specified. Here the pattern can be a Regular Expression or a string. If pattern is a Regular Expression or a string, str is divided where the pattern matches.

How do I select all but few columns in R? ›

How do I select all columns except 1 in R dplyr?
  1. Method 1: Select Specific Columns by Name df %>% select(var1, var3)
  2. Method 2: Select a Range of Columns by Name df %>% select(var1:var3)
  3. Method 3: Select All Columns Except Certain Columns df %>% select(-c(var1, var3))

Can we use group by with two columns? ›

We can use the group by multiple-column technique to group multiple records into a single record. All the records with the same values for the respective columns mentioned in the grouping criteria can be grouped as a single column using the group by multiple-column technique.

How do I select a group of columns in R? ›

To pick out single or multiple columns use the select() function. The select() function expects a dataframe as it's first input ('argument', in R language), followed by the names of the columns you want to extract with a comma between each name.

What is the difference between GROUP BY and ORDER BY? ›

1. Group by statement is used to group the rows that have the same value. Whereas Order by statement sort the result-set either in ascending or in descending order.

Does order matter for group_by R? ›

Order of Groupby would matter if you are looking for a specific data order. If you are not specific about data order it shouldn't matter. Here is an example of how order might change.

How do I sort a GROUP BY value? ›

Sort Values in Descending Order with Groupby

You can sort values in descending order by using ascending=False param to sort_values() method. The head() function is used to get the first n rows. It is useful for quickly testing if your object has the right type of data in it. Yields below output.

How do you split data into two groups? ›

1 Answer
  1. Sort points by the distance from the center (here 0).
  2. Choose the farthest point x in this list, and the point y which minimizes ||x+y||2.
  3. Assign both randomly to cluster A or B.
  4. Repeat 2 (only), but assign them to the other cluster.
  5. If there are more than 3 points remaining, go back to 2.
7 Sept 2016

How do I group each row? ›

To group rows or columns:
  1. Select the rows or columns you want to group. In this example, we'll select columns B, C, and D.
  2. Select the Data tab on the Ribbon, then click the Group command.
  3. The selected rows or columns will be grouped. In our example, columns B, C, and D are grouped.

How do I combine multiple rows of data into one row? ›

To merge two or more rows into one, here's what you need to do: Select the range of cells where you want to merge rows. Go to the Ablebits Data tab > Merge group, click the Merge Cells arrow, and then click Merge Rows into One.

How do you group rows in a query? ›

Group by a row
  1. To open a query, locate one previously loaded from the Power Query Editor, select a cell in the data, and then select Query > Edit. ...
  2. Select Home > Group by.
  3. In the Group by dialog box, select Advanced to select more than one column to group by.

How do I group rows across multiple sheets? ›

Press and hold down the Ctrl key, and click the worksheet tabs you want to group. Tip: If you want to group consecutive worksheets, click the first worksheet tab in the range, press and hold the Shift key, and click the last worksheet tab in the range.

How do you manually group the selected rows together and then collapse? ›

Select the rows that you wish to collapse, then click on the Data tab and Groups in the Outline group, and then click on Group Rows. You will see a '-' sign on the left of column A. When you click on the '-' sign, the selected rows get collapsed.

How do I Groupby a DataFrame in R? ›

Use group_by() function in R to group the rows in DataFrame by multiple columns (two or more), to use this function, you have to install dplyr first using install. packages('dplyr') and load it using library(dplyr) . All functions in dplyr package take data. frame as a first argument.

What does gather () do in R? ›

A gather () function is used for collecting (gather) multiple columns and converting them into a key-value pair. The column names get duplicated while using the gather (), i.e., the data gets repeated and forms the key-value pairs.

What does Groupby function do in R? ›

The group_by() function in R is from dplyr package that is used to group rows by column values in the DataFrame, It is similar to GROUP BY clause in SQL. R dplyr groupby is used to collect identical data into groups on DataFrame and perform aggregate functions on the grouped data.

What is Groupby command? ›

The GROUP BY statement groups rows that have the same values into summary rows, like "find the number of customers in each country". The GROUP BY statement is often used with aggregate functions ( COUNT() , MAX() , MIN() , SUM() , AVG() ) to group the result-set by one or more columns.

How do I organize data in R? ›

There is a function in R that you can use (called the sort function) to sort your data in either ascending or descending order. The variable by which sort you can be a numeric, string or factor variable. You also have some options on how missing values will be handled: they can be listed first, last or removed.

How do I split one column into many columns in R? ›

To split a column into multiple columns in the R Language, we use the separator() function of the dplyr package library. The separate() function separates a character column into multiple columns with a regular expression or numeric locations.

How do I know if my data is tidy? ›

12.2 Tidy data
  1. Each variable must have its own column.
  2. Each observation must have its own row.
  3. Each value must have its own cell.

How do I select a group of columns? ›

Select one or more rows and columns

Or click on any cell in the column and then press Ctrl + Space. Select the row number to select the entire row. Or click on any cell in the row and then press Shift + Space. To select non-adjacent rows or columns, hold Ctrl and select the row or column numbers.

How do you select a group of cells? ›

With the use of the 'Ctrl' key on your keyboard, you can select or deselect multiple cells not connected to each other. To do this, simply click on a cell. Then, press and hold the 'Ctrl' key on your keyboard. While holding the 'Ctrl' key, click on another cell or cells that you want to select.

How do I use group by in select? ›

GROUP BY clause is used with the SELECT statement. In the query, GROUP BY clause is placed after the WHERE clause. In the query, GROUP BY clause is placed before ORDER BY clause if used any. In the query , Group BY clause is placed before Having clause .

Why do we use Groupby? ›

Group by is one of the most frequently used SQL clauses. It allows you to collapse a field into its distinct values. This clause is most often used with aggregations to show one value per grouped field or combination of fields.

Is Groupby same as pivot table? ›

What is the difference between the pivot_table and the groupby? The groupby method is generally enough for two-dimensional operations, but pivot_table is used for multi-dimensional grouping operations.

What is Groupby method? ›

A groupby operation involves some combination of splitting the object, applying a function, and combining the results. This can be used to group large amounts of data and compute operations on these groups. Parameters bymapping, function, label, or list of labels. Used to determine the groups for the groupby.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Arline Emard IV

Last Updated:

Views: 5620

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (52 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Arline Emard IV

Birthday: 1996-07-10

Address: 8912 Hintz Shore, West Louie, AZ 69363-0747

Phone: +13454700762376

Job: Administration Technician

Hobby: Paintball, Horseback riding, Cycling, Running, Macrame, Playing musical instruments, Soapmaking

Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.