inspect --meta Command¶

For detailed usage and examples, see the Meta User Guide.

Quick Reference¶

gpio inspect --meta --help

This will show all available options for the inspect command including --meta.

Options¶

Metadata Selection¶

--parquet - Show only Parquet file metadata (schema, row groups, compression)
--geoparquet - Show only GeoParquet metadata from 'geo' key
--parquet-geo - Show only Parquet geospatial metadata (GEOMETRY/GEOGRAPHY types)

Display Options¶

--row-groups N - Number of row groups to display (default: 1)
--json - Output as JSON for scripting

# Compression settings
--compression [ZSTD|GZIP|BROTLI|LZ4|SNAPPY|UNCOMPRESSED]
--compression-level [1-22]

# Row group sizing
--row-group-size [exact row count]
--row-group-size-mb [target size like '256MB' or '1GB']

# Workflow options
--dry-run          # Preview SQL without executing
--verbose          # Detailed output
--preview          # Preview results (partition commands)
--hive             # Use Hive-style partitioning
--overwrite        # Overwrite existing files
--profile NAME     # AWS profile for S3 operations

Examples¶

# Show all metadata sections
gpio inspect --meta data.parquet

# Show only Parquet file metadata
gpio inspect --meta data.parquet --parquet

# Show only GeoParquet metadata (from 'geo' key)
gpio inspect --meta data.parquet --geoparquet

# Show only Parquet geospatial metadata
gpio inspect --meta data.parquet --parquet-geo

# Show all row groups (not just the first)
gpio inspect --meta data.parquet --row-groups 10

# JSON output for scripting
gpio inspect --meta data.parquet --json

# Multiple specific sections
gpio inspect --meta data.parquet --parquet --geoparquet

# Remote file with AWS profile
gpio inspect --meta s3://bucket/data.parquet --profile my-aws

Output Sections¶

By default, gpio inspect --meta shows three metadata sections:

1. Parquet File Metadata¶

File structure information including: - Schema with column names and types - Row group details (row count, sizes, compression) - Column statistics (min/max values, null counts)

2. GeoParquet Metadata¶

GeoParquet-specific metadata from the 'geo' key: - Primary geometry column - Geometry types - CRS (Coordinate Reference System) in PROJJSON - Bounding box metadata (covering) - GeoParquet version

3. Parquet Geospatial Metadata¶

Geospatial metadata from the Parquet format specification: - GEOMETRY/GEOGRAPHY logical types - Per-column bounding boxes - Geometry encoding information

Comparison with inspect¶

Feature	`gpio inspect`	`gpio inspect --meta`
Quick overview	Yes	No
Data preview (--head/--tail)	Yes	No
Column statistics	Via --stats	Per row group
Row group details	No	Yes
Full schema with types	Basic	Detailed
GeoParquet metadata	Basic	Full
Parquet geospatial metadata	Basic	Full

Use inspect for a quick overview and data preview. Use meta for deep dives into file structure and metadata.