How to Create Dummy Data in Python

Dummy data is randomly generated data that can be substituted for live data. Whether you are a Developer, Software Engineer, or Data Scientist, sometimes you need dummy data to test what you have built, it can be a web app, mobile app, or machine learning model.

Table of Contents: 

1. Faker Installation 
2. Create Faker Generator
3. Create Names
4. Create Dates and Times
5. Create Personal Profile 
6. Create Sentence & Paragraph Data
7. Create Localized Data
8. Create the same Fake Data
9. Reference

How to Install Faker to Create Dummy Data

pip install Faker

Note: From version 4.0.0, Faker dropped support for Python 2 and from version 5.0.0 it only supports Python 3.6 and above.

Create Faker Generator for Dummy Data

from faker import Faker

fake = Faker()

Create Names

for _ in range(10):
   print(fake.name()) 

Mathew Brown
Mrs. Julie Chavez
Calvin Little
Manuel Ponce
Alyssa Jackson DVM
Amy Delgado
Matthew Smith
Sarah Rojas
Crystal Werner
Tina Moore

Note: You can also use the first_name() method to create the first name and the last_name() method to create the last name.

Create Dates and Times

print(fake.date_between(start_date="-3y",end_date="-1y")) # date between 2018 and 2020
print(fake.month())
print(fake.date_time())
print(fake.year())
print(fake.month_name())
print(fake.date_time_this_year())
print(fake.time())
print(fake.timezone())
print(fake.day_of_week())
print(fake.time_object())

2019-05-31
02
2012-05-31 17:53:01
2002
November
2021-06-30 00:34:48
08:17:51
Africa/Gaborone
Thursday
17:59:37

Create a Personal Profile 

generateProfile = Faker()

generateProfile.simple_profile() 

{'username': 'qfowler',
 'name': 'Matthew Greene',
 'sex': 'M',
 'address': 'USNV Lopez\nFPO AA 45803',
 'mail': '[email protected]', 
'birthdate': datetime.date(1995, 8, 14)}

generateProfile.profile() 

{'job': 'Designer, television/film set',
'company': 'Murillo, Short and Townsend',
 'ssn': '893-14-6729',
 'residence': '6596 Daniel Spring Suite 910\nJonesborough, ID 59049',
 'current_location': (Decimal('4.2622025'), Decimal('-39.109752')),
 'blood_group': 'O-',
 'website': ['//hardin-johnson.org/',
  '//patterson.com/',
 '//george-snyder.info/'],
 'username': 'samuelbooth',
 'name': 'Shawna Spencer',
 'sex': 'F',
 'address': '125 Darrell Extension Suite 575\nPort Michaelbury, PA 12381',
 'mail': '[email protected]',
 'birthdate': datetime.date(1989, 11, 25)}

import pandas as pd 

generateProfile = Faker()

# generate 1000 profiles 
data = [generateProfile.profile() for i in range(1000)]

# save profiles in pandas dataframe
df = pd.DataFrame(data)

print(df)

print(df.columns)  

Index(['job', 'company', 'ssn', 'residence', 'current_location', 'blood_group',
'website', 'username', 'name', 'sex', 'address', 'mail', 'birthdate'], dtype='object')

Create Sentence & Paragraph Data

(a) Create a Single Paragraph

generateText = Faker()

generateText.text() 

(b) Create Multiple Paragraphs

generateTexts = Faker()

generateTexts.texts()

['Together require growth wind picture raise. Production task tree consumer recognize personal.',
'Be six whose answer. Mr oil successful under particular option.\nStep nor once rise. Eye thank try stay only test service. Then senior within capital action. Gun already entire sign garden.',
 'Painting now term direction. Will inside natural bar purpose major.\nOther hear subject do their. Institution between education would laugh example on. Real statement kid specific able foreign.']

(c) Create a Single Sentence

generateSentence = Faker()

generateSentence.sentence() 

(d) Create Multiple Sentences

generateSentences = Faker()

generateSentences.sentences() 

['Maintain take star someone could kitchen employee.',
'Pay should own word begin.',
'Citizen place although old despite stay.']

Create Localized Data

fake_local = Faker('zh_CN')

for _ in range(10):
    print(fake_local.name()) 

李小红
赵桂香
陈小红
罗建华
宋华
刘秀芳
郭秀华
朱秀云
金艳
侯琴

multiple_fake = Faker(['uk_UA', 'en_US', 'ja_JP'])

for _ in range(10):
    print(multiple_fake.city())

長生郡長生村
Christieland
Rileyshire
長生郡白子町
Port Curtisborough
Pruittview
селище Одарка
хутір Богодар
село Альберт
横浜市都筑区

Create the Same Fake Data

myGenerator = Faker()

myGenerator.random.seed(1234)

for i in range(10):
    print(myGenerator.country()) 

Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
Kazakhstan
Brazil
Albania
Bermuda
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Western Sahara
Wallis and Futuna
Sri Lanka
Mozambique

Note: You can use any random number as a seed.

Reference

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