unnest

Unnest is a common operation in data processing and programming that refers to the process of expanding a nested data structure into a flatter, less nested structure. This is often applied to collections, arrays, or lists that contain other collections as their elements. The goal of unnesting is typically to make the data more accessible for analysis, manipulation, or further processing.

For example, if you have a list of lists, unnesting it would result in a single list containing all the elements from the inner lists. Similarly, in databases, unnesting might refer to transforming a column containing an array or a list into multiple rows, where each row corresponds to an element within the original array. This process can be useful for relational database operations or for preparing data for certain analytical tools that prefer flat structures.

Many programming languages and data manipulation libraries offer functions or keywords specifically for unnesting. The exact implementation and syntax can vary, but the underlying concept remains the same: to remove levels of nesting and create a more linear data representation. This operation is fundamental in many data pipelines, allowing for efficient querying and transformation of complex data formats.