Viewing Parquet File Data
Multiple ways to inspect and explore Parquet files without converting them.
Parquet files are highly efficient but not human-readable. This guide shows you various methods to view and analyze Parquet data directly.
Quick Peek - View First Rows
Quickly inspect the structure and first few rows of your dataset
Detailed Analysis - Explore All Features
Comprehensive analysis of all 200+ features in the dataset
Filter & Search - View Specific Columns
Load only the columns you need for faster performance
Save Script to File
Create a Python file to run the viewing script
Pro Tips
- Missing Values: The first ~200 rows may have nulls for indicators requiring lookback periods (e.g., SMA_200 needs 200 candles). This is normal and expected.
- Memory Efficiency: Use
columns
parameter when reading Parquet to load only what you need. - Compression: Parquet with 'snappy' compression offers the best balance of speed and size.
- Data Types: Parquet preserves exact data types (float32, int64, etc.), unlike JSON which may require conversion.
- Tools: Use
pandas
,polars
, orduckdb
for working with Parquet files in Python. - Windows Users: Use
python
command. Linux/Mac users: usepython3
. - File Paths: Windows uses backslashes
\
(or forward slashes/
), Linux/Mac uses forward slashes/
.
Check Python Installation
Verify Python is installed and check version