> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://parabola.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Unpivot columns

> The **Unpivot columns** step will take every column that you choose and line them up into a single column called 'Value'. A new column will be made next to it called 'Type' that holds the value of the column header that  data points used to be in.

## Input/output

The input data we'll use for this step is a table of three columns: "Store Location", "Profit", and "Loss".

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/parabola-7119dfb0/HvW_RQOJLcDDJX8u/images/transforms/image-8.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=HvW_RQOJLcDDJX8u&q=85&s=06e6eea33825ac9e7ec76724564a5fb5" alt="Input table with three columns Store Location, Profit, and Loss" width="848" height="534" data-path="images/transforms/image-8.png" />
</Frame>

Below is a screenshot of our output data after using this **Unpivot columns** step. It has taken our columns "Profit" and "Loss"  and merged them into a single column called "Value". The "Type" column holds the value of the column header these values came from.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/parabola-7119dfb0/HvW_RQOJLcDDJX8u/images/transforms/image-9.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=HvW_RQOJLcDDJX8u&q=85&s=15c5b6d7f3d260689a1cd519b3f719ed" alt="Output table where Profit and Loss columns are unpivoted into Type and Value columns" width="800" height="688" data-path="images/transforms/image-9.png" />
</Frame>

## Custom settings

After you connect your data  into this step, select the dropdown menu of **Unique Identifier Column** to choose the column (type of data) you'd like to use as an identifier for this data set. This should be the column you don't want pivoted, and will be used as a key if the data needs to be pivoted back into shape. This could be a customer ID, store name, store location, customer full name, or more.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/parabola-7119dfb0/T25np0t98ZhrB8ru/images/transforms/image-10.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=T25np0t98ZhrB8ru&q=85&s=cbcf727e47e9c9fcab14d9fbff68fcfb" alt="Unique Identifier Column dropdown for selecting the column that won't be unpivoted" width="2142" height="1220" data-path="images/transforms/image-10.png" />
</Frame>

Then, select the remaining column headers (data categories) that you'd like to merge the values of those columns into a single column.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/parabola-7119dfb0/T25np0t98ZhrB8ru/images/transforms/image-11.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=T25np0t98ZhrB8ru&q=85&s=72ea368542e7fcd4b88d44383883325f" alt="Selecting the columns whose values should be merged into the new Value column" width="2145" height="1222" data-path="images/transforms/image-11.png" />
</Frame>

Finish by clicking *Show Updated Results* to save the step's settings.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/parabola-7119dfb0/T25np0t98ZhrB8ru/images/transforms/image-12.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=T25np0t98ZhrB8ru&q=85&s=67cf2658d3f2648025c9ef9fe7972bb0" alt="Show Updated Results button saving the unpivot configuration" width="2136" height="1230" data-path="images/transforms/image-12.png" />
</Frame>

## Helpful tips

* Optionally, in the **Pivot These Columns** section, you can choose to select the columns to exclude from the unpivot operation.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/parabola-7119dfb0/T25np0t98ZhrB8ru/images/transforms/image-13.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=T25np0t98ZhrB8ru&q=85&s=a623cba9b547106cc027175afd13575d" alt="Optional setting to specify columns to exclude from the unpivot operation" width="478" height="674" data-path="images/transforms/image-13.png" />
</Frame>

## Frequently asked questions

**What's the difference between unpivoting and pivoting?**

[Pivot columns](/product/transform/pivot-columns) takes values in a column and turns them into headers. **Unpivot columns** does the reverse — it collapses multiple column headers into a single column of values, producing a longer, narrower table.

**Why would I need an identifier column?**

The identifier column is the key that links each unpivoted value back to its source row. Without one, you can't tell which entity each value originally belonged to.

**Can I rename the Value and Type columns?**

The unpivot output uses "Value" and "Type" by default. To rename them, follow this step with [Edit columns](/product/transform/edit-columns) and apply your preferred names.

## Related steps

* [Pivot columns](/product/transform/pivot-columns) — reshape long data back into a wide format.
* [Stack tables](/product/transform/stack-tables) — combine multiple sources by stacking rows vertically.
* [Sum by group](/product/transform/sum-by-group) — aggregate numeric values once they're in long form.
* [Filter rows](/product/transform/filter-rows) — narrow the unpivoted output to a specific Type.
* [Edit columns](/product/transform/edit-columns) — rename the default Value and Type columns.