learning/tour-of-beam/learning-content/schema-based-transforms/select/description.md

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# Select

The `Select` transform allows one to easily project out only the fields of interest. The resulting `PCollection` has a schema containing each selected field as a top-level field. You can choose both top-level and nested fields.

The output of this transform is of type Row, which you can convert into any other type with matching schema using the `Convert` transform.

### Top-level fields

To select a field at the top level of a schema, you need to specify their names. For example, using the following code, you can choose just user ids from a `PCollection` of purchases:

```
PCollection<Row> rows = input.apply(Select.fieldNames("userId", "shippingAddress.postCode"));
```

Will result in the following schema:

```
Field Name       Field Type
userId           STRING
```

### Nested fields

Individual nested fields can be specified using the dot operator. For example, you can select just the postal code from the shipping address using the following:

```
PCollection<Row> rows = input.apply(Select.fieldNames("shippingAddress.userId","shippingAddress.postCode","shippingAddress.email"));
```

Will result in the following schema:

```
Field Name       Field Type
userId           INT64
postCode         STRING
email         STRING
```

### Wildcards

The `*` operator can be specified at any nesting level to represent all fields at that level. For example, to select all shipping-address fields one would write.

The same is true for wildcard selections. The following:

```
PCollection<Row> rows = input.apply(Select.fieldNames("shippingAddress.*"));
```

Will result in the following schema:

```
Field Name         Field Type
streetAddress      STRING
city               STRING
state              nullable STRING
country            STRING
postCode           STRING

```

### Select array

When selecting fields nested inside of an array, the same rule applies that each selected field appears separately as a top-level field in the resulting row. This means that if multiple fields are selected from the same nested row, each selected field will appear as its own array field.

```
PCollection<Row> rows = input.apply(Select.fieldNames( "transactions.bank", "transactions.purchaseAmount"));
```

Will result in the following schema:

```
Field Name        Field Type
bank              ARRAY[STRING]
purchaseAmount    ARRAY[DOUBLE]
```

### Flatten schema

Another use of the `Select` transform is to flatten a nested schema into a single flat schema.

```
PCollection<Row> rows = input.apply(Select.flattenedSchema());
```

Will result in the following schema:

```
Field Name                          Field Type
userId                              STRING
itemId                              STRING
shippingAddress_streetAddress       STRING
shippingAddress_city                nullable STRING
shippingAddress_state               STRING
shippingAddress_country             STRING
shippingAddress_postCode            STRING
costCents                           INT64
transactions_bank                   ARRAY[STRING]
transactions_purchaseAmount         ARRAY[DOUBLE]

```

### Playground exercise

In the playground window you can find examples of using `Select`.

You can output a field of the first level. And nested at the same time

```
PCollection<Row> game = input.apply(Select.fieldNames("userName","game.*"));
game.apply("User game", ParDo.of(new LogOutput<>("Game")));
```