CHAPTER 16
Beginner
GroupBy and Aggregation
Updated: May 18, 2026
5 min read
# CHAPTER 16
GroupBy and Aggregation
1. Chapter Introduction
GroupBy is Pandas' equivalent of SQLGROUP BY — splitting data into groups, applying aggregate functions, and combining results. It transforms raw transaction data into meaningful summaries and KPIs.
2. Basic GroupBy
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3. Multiple Aggregations with agg()
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4. GroupBy with Transform
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5. pivot_table — Excel Pivot Table Style
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6. Mini Project: Sales Analytics Dashboard
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7. Common Mistakes
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Using
applyinstead ofagg:groupby().apply(lambda x: x.mean())is much slower thangroupby().mean(). Always prefer native aggregation functions.
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Forgetting
resetindex(): Aftergroupby().agg(), the group columns become the index. Use.resetindex()to make them regular columns.
8. MCQs
Question 1
groupby('Dept')['Salary'].mean() computes?
Question 2
Named aggregation syntax Headcount=('col', 'count') is in?
Question 3
transform('mean') vs agg('mean')?
Question 4
pivottable(margins=True) adds?
Question 5
groupby(['A','B']) groups by?
Question 6
After groupby().agg(), group column is?
Question 7
fillvalue=0 in pivottable?
Question 8
df.nlargest(5, 'Revenue') returns?
Question 9
groupby().transform() output length equals?
Question 10
SQL equivalent of groupby().sum() is?
9. Interview Questions
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Q: What is the difference between
groupby().agg()andgroupby().transform()?
- Q: How do you create a pivot table in Pandas?
10. Summary
GroupBy split-apply-combine pattern is Pandas' most powerful analysis tool.agg() with named aggregations creates clean summaries. transform() adds group statistics to the original DataFrame. pivottable creates Excel-style cross-tabulations. Always reset_index() after aggregation for clean DataFrames.