: Pyspark substring example Dec 23, 2024 · One such common operation is extracting a portion of a string—also known as a substring—from a column. string_column, pattern, index) Let‘s break down the parameters: pyspark. sql. substring_index # pyspark. Let us look at different ways in which we can find a substring from one or more columns of a PySpark dataframe. Column [source] ¶ Returns the substring of str that starts at pos and is of length len, or the slice of byte array that starts at pos and is of length len. startPos | int or Column The starting position. We will use a simple list of basketball teams and their points, where the string manipulation will occur on the team column. Column ¶ Substring starts at pos and is of length len when str is String type or returns the slice of byte array that starts at pos in byte and is of length len when str is Binary type. substring_index(str, delim, count) [source] # Returns the substring from string str before count occurrences of the delimiter delim. Using integers for the input arguments. right # pyspark. PySpark rlike () PySpark rlike() function is used to apply regular expressions to string columns for advanced pattern matching. If you're familiar with SQL, many of these functions will feel familiar, but PySpark provides a Pythonic interface through the pyspark. functions. The given start and return value are 1-based. Negative position is allowed here as well - please consult the example below for clarification. Return Value A new PySpark Mastering Regex Expressions in PySpark DataFrames: A Comprehensive Guide Regular expressions, or regex, are like a Swiss Army knife for data manipulation, offering a powerful way to search, extract, and transform text patterns within datasets. . functions module. instr # pyspark. Aug 19, 2025 · PySpark SQL contains () function is used to match a column value contains in a literal string (matches on part of the string), this is mostly used to filter rows on DataFrame. It returns the matched substring, or an empty string if there is no match. In our Feb 23, 2022 · 4 The substring function from pyspark. substr # pyspark. Substring Extraction Syntax: 3. Learn data transformations, string manipulation, and more in the cheat sheet. In that case, the substring () function only returns characters that fall in the bounds i. sql import Row import pandas as p We can also interpret this as: the function will walk ahead on the string, from the start position, until it gets a substring that is 10 characters long. Parameters 1. 3. idx | int The group from which to extract values. Jul 21, 2025 · Comparison with contains (): Unlike contains(), which only supports simple substring searches, rlike() enables complex regex-based queries. 2. Aug 28, 2020 · Read our articles about substr() for more information about using it in real time with examples Pyspark has many functions that helps working with text columns in easier ways. Jun 24, 2024 · The substring () function in Pyspark allows you to extract a specific portion of a column’s data by specifying the starting and ending positions of the desired substring. If count is positive, everything the left of the final delimiter (counting from left) is returned. If we are processing fixed length columns then we use substring to extract the information. In this tutorial, we will explore how to extract substrings from a DataFrame column in PySpark. For example to take the left table and produce the right table: String manipulation is a common task in data processing. Last 2 characters from right is extracted using substring function so the resultant dataframe will be Extract characters from string column in pyspark – substr () Extract characters from string column in pyspark is obtained using substr () function. Quick reference for essential PySpark functions with examples. In the example below, we are extracting the substring that starts at the second character (index 2) and ends at the sixth character (index 6) in the string. With regexp_extract, you can easily extract portions May 8, 2025 · You can replace column values of PySpark DataFrame by using SQL string functions regexp_replace(), translate(), and overlay() with Python examples. However your approach will work using an expression. Although, startPos and length has to be in the same type. Mar 27, 2024 · In Spark, you can use the length function in combination with the substring function to extract a substring of a certain length from a string column. sql import SQLContext from pyspark. Example 1: Using literal integers as arguments. The function regexp_replace will generate a new column by replacing all substrings that match the pattern. Aug 12, 2023 · PySpark SQL Functions' regexp_extract(~) method extracts a substring using regular expression. Apr 17, 2025 · Diving Straight into Filtering Rows by Substring in a PySpark DataFrame Filtering rows in a PySpark DataFrame where a column contains a specific substring is a key technique for data engineers using Apache Spark. String manipulation is a fundamental requirement in data engineering and analysis. To demonstrate these five substring extraction methods in action, we must first initialize a PySpark session and create a sample dataset. You‘ll learn: What exactly substring () does How to use it with different PySpark DataFrame methods When to reach for substring () vs other string methods Real-world examples and use cases Underlying distributed processing that makes substring () powerful Jul 18, 2021 · In this article, we are going to see how to check for a substring in PySpark dataframe. PySpark provides powerful, optimized functions within the pyspark. Master substring functions in PySpark with this tutorial. Substring is a continuous sequence of characters within a larger string size. String manipulation in PySpark DataFrames is a vital skill for transforming text data, with functions like concat, substring, upper, lower, trim, regexp_replace, and regexp_extract offering versatile tools for cleaning and extracting information. Includes code examples and explanations. It is commonly used for pattern matching and extracting specific information from unstructured or semi-structured data. split # pyspark. I tried using pyspark native functions and udf , but getting an error as "Column is not iterable". Dec 9, 2023 · Learn the syntax of the substring function of the SQL language in Databricks SQL and Databricks Runtime. This is especially useful when you want to match strings using wildcards such as % (any sequence of characters) and _ (a single character). These functions are particularly useful when cleaning data, extracting information, or transforming text columns. So, for example, for one row the substring starts at 7 and goes to 20, for anot Learn how to split a string by delimiter in PySpark with this easy-to-follow guide. When to use it and why. Extracting substrings involves selecting a specific portion of a string based on a given condition or position. Consult the examples below for clarification. Whether you’re preparing for a data engineering interview or working on real-world big data projects, having a strong command of PySpark functions can significantly improve your productivity and problem-solving skills. functions and using substr() from pyspark. May 28, 2024 · In this tutorial, I have explained with an example of getting substring of a column using substring() from pyspark. Oct 27, 2023 · This tutorial explains how to extract a substring from a column in PySpark, including several examples. Example 3: Using column names as arguments. Nov 11, 2016 · I am new for PySpark. split(str, pattern, limit=- 1) [source] # Splits str around matches of the given pattern. eg: If you need to pass Column for length, use lit for the startPos. Creating Dataframe for pyspark. There can be a requirement to extract letters from right side in a text value, in such case substring function in Pyspark is helpful. Extracting Strings using substring Let us understand how to extract strings from main string using substring function in Pyspark. I am brand new to pyspark and want to translate my existing pandas / python code to PySpark. This position is inclusive and non-index, meaning the first character is in position 1. Let us understand how to extract strings from main string using substring function in Pyspark. regexp_extract # pyspark. Aug 13, 2020 · I want to extract the code starting from the 25 th position to the end. substring(str: ColumnOrName, pos: int, len: int) → pyspark. In Learn how to use PySpark string functions such as contains (), startswith (), substr (), and endswith () to filter and transform string columns in DataFrames. You can use this function to filter the DataFrame rows by single or multiple conditions, to derive a new column. str | string or Column The column whose substrings will be extracted. position(substr, str, start=None) [source] # Returns the position of the first occurrence of substr in str after position start. In the vast landscape of big data, where unstructured or semi-structured text is common, regex becomes indispensable for tasks like parsing logs For Python users, related PySpark operations are discussed at PySpark DataFrame String Manipulation and other blogs. Mar 23, 2024 · To extract a substring in PySpark, the “substr” function can be used. length) or int. PySpark provides a variety of built-in functions for manipulating string columns in DataFrames. When working with large datasets using PySpark, extracting specific portions of text—or substrings—from a column in a DataFrame is a common task. I want to subset my dataframe so that only rows that contain specific key words I'm looking for in 'original_problem' field is returned. For example, "learning pyspark" is a substring of "I am learning pyspark from GeeksForGeeks". functions only takes fixed starting position and length. 5) Let us consider now a example of substring when the indices are beyond the length of column. Common String Manipulation Functions Example Usage 1. functions module to handle these operations efficiently. Column type. And created a temp table using registerTempTable function. right(str, len) [source] # Returns the rightmost len` (`len can be string type) characters from the string str, if len is less or equal than 0 the result is an empty string. Column. pattern | string or Regex The regular expression pattern used for substring extraction. Here are some of the examples for fixed length columns and the use cases for which we typically extract information. instr(str, substr) Locate the position of the first occurrence of substr column in the given string. In this article we will learn how to use right function in Pyspark with the help of an example. Examples Example 1. Syntax cheat sheet A quick reference guide to the most commonly used patterns and functions in PySpark SQL: Common Patterns Logging Output Importing Functions & Types Filtering Joins Column Operations Casting & Coalescing Null Values & Duplicates String Operations String Filters String Functions Number Operations Date & Timestamp Operations Array Operations Aggregation Operations Advanced Sep 30, 2022 · I need to get a substring from a column of a dataframe that starts at a fixed number and goes all the way to the end. position # pyspark. Below, we explore some of the most useful string manipulation functions and demonstrate how to use them with examples. Dec 28, 2022 · This will take Column (Many Pyspark function returns Column including F. It is used to extract a substring from a column's value based on the starting position and length. Whether you're searching for names containing a certain pattern, identifying records with specific keywords, or refining datasets for analysis, this operation enables targeted data Aug 28, 2020 · Pyspark – Get substring () from a column The PySpark substring () function extracts a portion of a string column in a DataFrame. Learn how to use substr (), substring (), overlay (), left (), and right () with real-world examples. column. Dec 8, 2019 · I am trying to use substring and instr function together to extract the substring but not being able to do so. Jun 6, 2025 · In this article, I will explore various techniques to remove specific characters from strings in PySpark using built-in functions. This can be achieved in PySpark using various methods such as substring (), substr (), and Sep 23, 2025 · PySpark is widely adopted by Data Engineers and Big Data professionals because of its capability to process massive datasets efficiently using distributed computing. Dec 5, 2022 · Substring in PySpark Azure Databricks with step by step examples. substr function is a part of PySpark's SQL module, which provides a high-level interface for querying structured data using SQL-like syntax. Example 2: Using columns as arguments. Here we discuss the use of SubString in PySpark along with the various examples and classification. I pulled a csv file using pandas. It provides efficient tools for data manipulation, including the ability to extract substrings from a string. regexp_extract () This function extracts a specific group from a string in a PySpark DataFrame based on a specified regex pattern. We will explore five essential Nov 3, 2023 · In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you how to use PySpark‘s substring () to effortlessly extract substrings from large datasets. contains() function works in conjunction with the filter() operation and provides an effective way to select rows based on substring presence within a string column. Concatenation Syntax: 2. Aug 12, 2023 · PySpark SQL Functions' split (~) method returns a new PySpark column of arrays containing splitted tokens based on the specified delimiter. Use expr() with substring Aug 19, 2025 · In this PySpark article, you will learn how to apply a filter on DataFrame columns of string, arrays, and struct types by using single and multiple conditions and also using isin() with PySpark (Python Spark) examples. e (start, start+len). Jun 6, 2025 · The like() function in PySpark is used to filter rows based on pattern matching using wildcard characters, similar to SQL’s LIKE operator. Apr 19, 2023 · Guide to PySpark substring. Nov 4, 2023 · Overview of pyspark. Aug 12, 2023 · PySpark Column's substr(~) method returns a Column of substrings extracted from string column values. String functions in PySpark allow you to manipulate and process textual data. Here is the syntax: regexp_extract(df. substr(str: ColumnOrName, pos: ColumnOrName, len: Optional[ColumnOrName] = None) → pyspark. Let’s explore how to master string manipulation in Spark DataFrames to create clean, consistent, and analyzable datasets. Key Points – You can use regexp_replace() to remove specific characters or substrings from string columns in a PySpark DataFrame. Rank 1 on Google for 'pyspark split string by delimiter'. functions import regexp_replace newDf = df. If the regex did not match, or the specified group did not match, an empty string is returned. withColumn('address', regexp_replace('address', 'lane', 'ln')) Quick explanation: The function withColumn is called to add (or replace, if the name exists) a column to the data frame. This function takes in three parameters: the column containing the string, the starting index of the substring, and the length of the substring. pyspark. I tried: Apr 3, 2024 · PySpark is a Python-based framework used for big data processing and analytics. Parameters startPos Column or int start position length Column or int length of the substring Returns Column Column representing whether each element of Column is substr of origin Column. Returns null if either of the arguments are null. It… pyspark. Limitations, real-world use cases, and alternatives. Regular expressions (regex) allow you to define flexible patterns for matching and removing characters. by passing two values first one represents the starting position of the character and second one represents the length of the substring. […] The pyspark. from pyspark. If count is negative, every to the right of the final delimiter (counting from the right) is returned Oct 15, 2017 · Pyspark n00b How do I replace a column with a substring of itself? I'm trying to remove a select number of characters from the start and end of string. instr(str, substr) [source] # Locate the position of the first occurrence of substr column in the given string. substr(str, pos, len=None) [source] # Returns the substring of str that starts at pos and is of length len, or the slice of byte array that starts at pos and is of length len. regexp_extract(str, pattern, idx) [source] # Extract a specific group matched by the Java regex regexp, from the specified string column. Mar 16, 2017 · I want to take a json file and map it so that one of the columns is a substring of another. Below, we will cover some of the most commonly pyspark. For example, if we have a column called “name” that contains strings like “John Smith” and we want to extract only the first name, we can use the substr function as Introduction to regexp_extract function The regexp_extract function is a powerful string manipulation function in PySpark that allows you to extract substrings from a string based on a specified regular expression pattern.

Pyspark substring example. sql import SQLContext from pyspark.