What do you mean by 'individual field'? Dataset is a 2D table. Columns have names, rows have consecutive numbers.

You can get row(s) as a map(s).

(type (get (tc/last data) "final-column-name"))
=> tech.v3.dataset.impl.column.Column

I get [34.332] as a Column rather than 34.332 as a float

And please correct my wording, if that's not called a field what is it more commonly called in tabular data?

tc/last returns a dataset with one row (the last one). get returns a column which a seq

Call first on the result.

Is that not the equivalent of (get data 0)?

(get data 0) will return a column with name 0

Or nil

Is the process we've outlined the canonical way of getting the artist formerly known as "field?"

E.g. one cell

There is no such function. You always end up with a column (a seq) or a row (as a map). Both are Clojure structures which you know how to deal with.

I can add such function but it will be kind of redundant.

Adding a specific function might be overkill, but maybe it needs to be a use case in the docs. If you have a general idea where it should be, I could add something if you like

There is a section under dataset part which deals with accessing rows and cols in general. There can be a function like (tc/get dataset column row)

Maybe not get

pluck, select-item, retrieve-item perhaps. I actually thought tc/select was going to do it given its signature at first glance

Most of the functions in TC returns a dataset. Some of them escape to the clojure structures.

(def ds (tc/dataset {:a [1 2 3]
                   :b [99 98 97]
                   :c [:r :t :y]}))

(tc/rows ds) ;; returns vector of rows as vectors
;; => [[1 99 :r] [2 98 :t] [3 97 :y]]
(tc/rows ds :as-maps) ;; returns vector of rows as columns
;; => [{:a 1, :b 99, :c :r} {:a 2, :b 98, :c :t} {:a 3, :b 97, :c :y}]

(tc/columns ds) ;; returns sequence of columns
;; => [#tech.v3.dataset.column<int64>[3]
;;    :a
;;    [1, 2, 3] #tech.v3.dataset.column<int64>[3]
;;    :b
;;    [99, 98, 97] #tech.v3.dataset.column<keyword>[3]
;;    :c
;;    [:r, :t, :y]]

(tc/column ds :c) ;; returns column
;; => #tech.v3.dataset.column<keyword>[3]
;;    :c
;;    [:r, :t, :y]

;; column is a sequence
(seqable? (tc/column ds :c)) ;; => true
(first (tc/column ds :c)) ;; => :r

;; column is a vector
(sequential? (tc/column ds :c)) ;; => true
((tc/column ds :c) 0) ;; => :r

I don't know why get-in doesn't work and probably this would be the best path for the data field selector.

Ok, filled an issue for TMD to enable get-in https://github.com/techascent/tech.ml.dataset/issues/324

I think it would be useful to read the walkthrough and the quick reference- https://techascent.github.io/tech.ml.dataset/walkthrough.html https://techascent.github.io/tech.ml.dataset/quick-reference.html

I think it would be great to have a fn along the lines of get-value or get-entry

Oh! Good names, thanks.

Latest TMD does now support (issue above is fixed):

(get-in ds [cname field-idx])

tablecloth 6.101 landed on clojars with get-entry added https://scicloj.github.io/tablecloth/index.html#Single_entry

Kickass! Thanks @UDRJMEFSN @U1EP3BZ3Q!