Python or awk/sed for cleaning data
I use R for data analysis and am very happy with it. Cleaning data could be a bit easier, however. I am thinking about learning another language suited to this task.

I am considering the awk/sed combination versus Python. (I recognize that Perl would be another option, but, if I was going to learn another full language, Python seems to be a better, more extensible choice.)

The advantage of sed/awk is that it would be quicker to learn. The disadvantage is that this combination isn't as extensible as Python. Indeed, I might imagine some "mission creep" if I learned Python, which would be fine, but not my goal.

The other consideration that I had is applications to large data sets. As I understand it, awk/sed operate line-by-line, while Python would typically pull all the data into memory. This could be another advantage for sed/awk.

Are there other issues that I'm missing? Any advice that you can offer would be appreciated. (I included the R tag for R users to offer their cleaning recommendations.)
Python or awk/sed for cleaning data
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I use R for data analysis and am very happy with it. Cleaning data could be a bit easier, however. I am thinking about learning another language suited to this task.

I am considering the awk/sed combination versus Python. (I recognize that Perl would be another option, but, if I was going to learn another full language, Python seems to be a better, more extensible choice.)

The advantage of sed/awk is that it would be quicker to learn. The disadvantage is that this combination isn't as extensible as Python. Indeed, I might imagine some "mission creep" if I learned Python, which would be fine, but not my goal.

The other consideration that I had is applications to large data sets. As I understand it, awk/sed operate line-by-line, while Python would typically pull all the data into memory. This could be another advantage for sed/awk.

Are there other issues that I'm missing? Any advice that you can offer would be appreciated. (I included the R tag for R users to offer their cleaning recommendations.)