How to Create a Nested Dictionary from Existing Data in Python Step-by-Step

Learn how to transform pre-existing data into a structured nested dictionary in Python. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to facilitate your understanding.
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A Guide to Creating a Nested Dictionary in Python

When working with data in Python, you may encounter scenarios where organizing information in a structured manner is crucial. This post will guide you through the process of creating a nested dictionary from an existing nested dictionary structure. We will be using student enrollment data as our example.

Problem Statement

You have a nested dictionary called student_data that contains information about students and their course enrollments. The goal is to create a new dictionary where:

Keys represent unique course codes.

Values are dictionaries containing:

A section available for that course code.

A list of ID numbers associated with that specific section.

In the output, all sections should be organized in alphabetical order, and ID numbers in ascending order.

Sample Input

Here's the structure of the input data we'll be working with:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Desired Output Format

The desired output should resemble the following structure:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Solution Overview

Let’s break down the steps involved in creating our nested dictionary:

Step 1: Import Required Module

Start by importing the defaultdict class from the collections module. This will help simplify the creation of our dictionary.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Initialize the Dictionary

Next, initialize a defaultdict where each value will also be a dictionary.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Process Each Student Record

Now, we need to iterate through each student record in student_data. For each student, loop through their enlistments to populate our dictionary.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 4: Create the Final Nested Dictionary

Finally, convert the defaultdict into a standard dictionary with the desired nested structure.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Final Code Example

Here's the complete solution wrapped up in a neat block:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

With this approach, you can efficiently restructure your nested dictionary to create a well-organized view of your student enrollment data based on course codes and sections. Whether you're handling academic records or any other data type, the concepts discussed here can be applied broadly.

If you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to leave a comment!