[ARROW-2295] [Python] Add Array.to_numpy functions

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Duplicate
• Component/s: Python
• External issue URL: https://github.com/apache/arrow/issues/18249
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Lawrence Chan
• Created: 09/Mar/18 20:38
• Updated: 11/Jan/23 07:20
• Resolved: 18/Sep/19 14:56

Description

There are `to_pandas()` functions, but no `to_numpy()` functions. I'd like to propose that we include both.

Also, `pyarrow.lib.Array.to_pandas()` returns a `numpy.ndarray`, which imho is very confusing . I think it would be more intuitive for the `to_pandas()` functions to return `pandas.Series` and `pandas.DataFrame` objects, and the `to_numpy()` functions to return `numpy.ndarray` and either a ordered dict of `numpy.ndarray` or a structured `numpy.ndarray` depending on a flag, for example. The `to_pandas()` function is of course welcome to use the `to_numpy()` func to avoid the additional index and whatnot of the `pandas.Series`.

 

Issue Links

• duplicates: ARROW-564 [Python] Add methods to return vanilla NumPy arrays (plus boolean mask array if there are nulls)