# Unstack
In this document, you’ll learn how to use the **Unstack** transformation in Astera Dataprep to convert values from a single column into multiple columns, making it easier to compare data side by side.
Suppose you have a dataset containing education-related statistics for multiple countries, with columns for **Country**, **ISO\_Code**, **Year**, and **LAYS**. Each country has separate rows for different years. For example, 2017, 2018, and 2020.
1. To unstack data in Astera Dataprep, click on the *Transform* option in the toolbar and select *Unstack* from the drop-down.
2. Once selected, the *Recipe Configuration – Unstack* panel will open.
* **Group Count:** Check this option if you manually define the number of input groups in your dataset.
* **Number of Input Groups:** The number of times your repeating values appear for each unique Key.
* Unstack Options:
* **Key**: Columns that uniquely identify each record (e.g., *Country*, *ISO\_Code*).
* **Input**: Columns that hold the values you want to unstack (e.g., *LAYS*).
*Example:* Setting number of input groups to 3 (for years 2017, 2018, and 2020) with Country and ISO\_Code as *Key* and *LAYS* as Input will unstack values into three new columns (LAYS1, LAYS2, LAYS3).
* **Pivot:** Check this option when you want to unstack data based on a category or driver values (e.g., Year), creating separate columns for each value.
* Unstack Options:
* **Key**: Columns that uniquely identify each record (e.g., *Country*, *ISO\_Code*).
* **Input**: Columns that hold the values you want to unstack (e.g., *LAYS*).
* **Pivot**: Column containing categories or drivers (e.g., *Year*).
* Driver Values: You also need to provide the driver values (e.g., 2017, 2018, 2020). These can be entered manually or fetched using *Auto Fill*.
3. Once you are done with your configurations, click *Apply*.
*Example:* Setting *Country* and *ISO\_Code* as Key, *LAYS* as Input, and *Year* as Pivot with driver values *2017, 2018, 2020* will generate separate columns named LAYS\_2017, LAYS\_2018, and LAYS\_2020.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Tip:** You can also ask in Chat something like *“Unstack the LAYS column by Year so that each year becomes its own column”*, and Dataprep will configure the transformation for you automatically.
{% endhint %}
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