Keep the Column Properties dialogue box

Thanks Corey and to everyone in this thread for taking the time to articulate how this change impacts your workflow. I wanted to share a few important clarifications and updates:

1. Bulk formatting is supported again: With Spotfire 14.6, bulk formatting is now available directly in the data in analysis panel. You can select multiple columns and apply formatting to a selection of columns.

2. Calculated column workflows are being improved: You and others in this thread highlighted how critical it is to quickly review calculations, find calculated columns among imported ones, jump between them with excessive scrolling. This feedback is fully heard and we are actively working on these points.

3. Custom column properties are still available: For those working with custom column properties, spatial data, metadata, these are managed at the data table level, therefore live in the Data Canvas.

4. Copying the entire column list: This feature - previously hidden feature - did not carry over to the new workflow and we are evaluating if/how to bring it back. I'm wondering what are the exact use cases for this feature? Could you share any specifics?

To help with the transition, we’ve published an article that walks through how the updated workflows are designed to work. These resources give the quickest overview of the new structure and mindset, and they typically address the most common questions we see during the learning phase.

I will contnue to update this article, and will also update this thread so you can follow progress. Please keep sharing what still feels missing and harder than before. This input is directly shaping what we prioritize next.

I upgraded to Spotfire 14.5/.6 in an attempt to access the new visualizations being added, but the removal of the Column Properties dialogue box made me move back to 14.4. The ability to easily access and edit calculated columns in a single location while developing is integral to my workflow.

Additionally, when bringing in spatial columns from Snowflake, I have to update and add column properties. The ability to add a column property doesn't even exist in the column properties pane of the data canvas.

Also, often times I would copy the entire column list out of the Column Properties window and drop this in Excel for various reasons.

It is extremely frustrating to remove this functionality as an "upgrade."

As others have suggested, why not keep this and allow users to choose which path they want to follow?

Thanks you all for taking the time to share detailed feedback. I want to acknoledge that for many of you, the column properties dialog was central to you workflows, and that the transition to the data in analysis flyout has introduced friction.

From your comments, I hear a few recurring themes:

• The ability to bulkd edit formats across multiple columns

• The need to quickly review, edit, and create calculated columns without extendive scrolling and searching

• Have a clear overview of column metadata

• Navigation challenges in the current flyout

• The desire to see everything in one place with fewer click

Our goal with removing the old dialog is not to reduce functionality, but to modernize the experience and lay the foundation for more powerful workflows. That said, its clear we need to improve the data in analysis flyout panel to better support the tasks you've relied on. Here are some improvements we are planning or actively exploring based on feedback like yours:

• Bulk editing of column properties (formatting, categories, etc.) directly from the data in analysis panel

• Column search and filtering to avoid excessive scrolling

• Indicators for calculated column, making them easier to identify

• UI improvements to make column list easier to navigate and resize, and to expand the details view for faster editing.

We won't bring back the old column properties dialogn but we are committed to evolving the new experience so it meets (and exceeds) what you could do before.

Thanks for you constructive criticism. It really does influence our priorities.

The new "Data in Analysis" flyout is the worst "upgrade" i've seen in a long time to spotfire. Bring back the column properties dialog box PLEASE! Even if you keep the data in analysis flyout the recommendations being the default is terrible. i don't know a single user of spotfire who has ever relied on your recommendations. we just need to quickly see calcutions behind calculated columns, adjust formatting and maybe category order. it is near impossible to understand a table a columns with this new flyout that frankly looks more like it's trying to be Tableau (which is the wrong direction).

The removal of the now 'legacy' Column Properties manager has already disrupted my workflow within a few minutes of upgrading to Spotfire 14.5. While I can appreciate the desire to make Spotfire more usable, the alternative column formatting and editing methods (through the Data in Analysis flyout menu and the Data Canvas) are cumbersome to use.

Below is a navigation comparison of the pre and post-removal of the crucial and highly used Column Properties manager, along with suggestions to alleviate the navigation issues that are present in the 'Data in Analysis' flyout menu.

• Legacy Column Properties manager:

  • Data > Column Properties > select table in dropdown (which is usually already selected on the table you need) > quickly scroll to the bottom of the list where your custom columns are typically located (or quickly filter by column name) > select column > view and edit whatever you need in a clear to see layout.

  • The above would take about 3-5 seconds with minimal clicks to navigate to the column of choice, see the current state of the column (formatting, source, etc.) and start editing or changing settings.

• Data in Analysis flyout menu:

  • Data In Analysis (icon on the left toolbar) > select table in the dropdown > scroll down a narrow and difficult to navigate list (navigation problems mentioned below) > select column > carefully navigate through a list of multiple section titles and dropdown fields all indented to the same level that look visually similar > click the small setting cog for the setting of interest to see limited details and start editing/changing. This requires more clicks and a lot more browsing/searching time.

  • The column name list is hugely difficult to navigate.

    • It's narrow (cutting off the end of column names) and cannot be resized

    • It's sorted by data-type with no other sorting or filtering options. The collapsable sorting headers for data-type disappear when scrolling down, so the user doesn't even know what data-type section they're scrolling through, thus adding confusion when their column of interest isn't appearing where expected. An option to simply sort alphabetically would assist with searching for columns placed in unexpected data-type categories.

    • There is no clear indicator for ColumnType, which indicates whether the column is 'Imported' vs. 'Calculated'. This was previously used in the legacy Column Property manager to quickly identify calculated columns, which one frequently revisits to edit, duplicate, etc. Now, searching for your calculated columns is near impossible without cross referencing to the Data Canvas in a different window where the 'ColumnType' is listed to find their exact column names and data-types. Aside from being totally unintuitive, this, of course, requires a tremendous number of additional clicks to also navigate here within the Data Canvas. An identifier icon (or differentiating font color) to indicate 'calculated column' or a filtering button on 'ColumnType' should be implemented to assist with quicker navigation to calculated columns.

    • The column list loads slowly when scrolling quickly, thus further reducing navigability, especially when lots of columns exist in the analysis.

  • Column editing and formatting difficulties

    • As the original poster mentioned, there is no way to mass edit column formats. I find that I'm typically updating formats for multiple columns about half the times I opened the legacy Column Properties manager for formatting adjustments. This feature omission is a major loss.

    • Additionally, because we now have to navigate to and click the small setting cog to open a temporary settings page that houses the highly used formatting specifics (decimals, thousands separator, custom formatting details, etc.), it's not possible to quickly click between columns to review and compare formatting details. And an additional click in necessary to exit out of this dialog box, adding to the clicks required to simply review or change what used to be just a couple clicks away from the main page.

    • To help alleviate the column editing and formatting menu challenges, the "Details on selected column" menu should be expanded horizontally allowing for any settings tucked away under the setting cogs to be more easily viewable and available. This would also allow for the small 'Expression' box preview that's shown for calculated columns to not be so crowded (which is currently unusable as a previewer).

Let me know if clarification is needed on any of the above points/suggestions.

I fully understand how central the Column Properties dialog is to your workflows. Ability to see everything in one place, make quick bulk formatting changes, review and edit calculated columns, and understanding where columns come from. These are importaant needs, and your examples give me greatbinsights into what makes a good experience. Thank you both.

While it is true that the Column Properties dialog has been removed in the latest Spotfire versions, our goal is not to reduce functionality; but to modernize and evolve the experience so it ultimately becomes morepowerful and intuitive. Much of what you described is already possible in the Data Canvas or the Data in Analysis panel, and we are planning on improving these areas based on feedback like yours. For instance bulk formatting is something we are looking to support in the Data in Analysis panel when selecting multiple columns, to address the kind of use case you mentioned.

Thanks again for your detailed feedback. It helps us prioritize improvements in visibility in the Data Canvas and surrounding panels.

I would say that I use the Column Properties Dialogue Box, almost every time I am in Spotfire. If I need to add a calculated column, I go to the Column Properties Dialogue Box. If I need to check how many calculated columns there are in a table, Column Properties Dialogue Box. If I want to check/edit a calculated column, Column Properties Dialogue Box. It's more than second nature at this point. Plus it has all the details there in one place: if a column came from another table, you can see it's source, you can see what the original name was, you can change the name(s). It just does a lot of things all in one place.

Thank you for submitting this idea.
Is there any other things that you miss a part from being able to configure the formatting of multiple columns?