Maintaining 'Ghost' transformed columns created within platforms

Question

John Sall references virtual data as the one type of ghost data in his 2017 Discovery Summit Plenary Presentation. Simple examples of virtual data are transformed columns created within a platform (open graph builder, right click on a column, choose Transform -> Log). Can these columns be saved for use in other platforms?

What does work (in JMP 13):

Create a transformed column in the fit model platform and use it as a model effect. Until JMP is closed, that column appears in the list of columns in other platforms, italicized and at the bottom of the list.  It is possible, then, to:

* Make all column transformations in fit model and add them as model effects to predict any column using standard least squares.
* Save the fit column script, it can close itself after it runs.fm = Fit Model( ... );
fm << Close window();

* Update the script whenever a new column transformation is needed.
* Run the script every time the data table is opened.

What does not work:

* Creating the column in graph builder, distribution, partition, neural network, and other platforms.
* Closing and re-opening JMP.
* Saving a prediction formula column containing the transformed variable.

ih · Answer

The biggest motivation for this is keeping track of which transformations I want to keep and which are still being evaluated.  In a manufacturing data mining example, hundreds or thousands of transformations might be generated, and if they are all saved to the data table (which I did up until a month ago and still do for complex transformations) then the user needs to keep track of which columns they created now and which they liked or used in previous analyses.

JMP also seems to use more memory when they are all stored in the data table.

Mark_Bailey · Answer

What is the harm in saving the temporary column in the data table the first time if you want to re-use it with other platforms? You can always delete it later if it has no persistent value.

ih · Answer

This was my fear.  The problem is that, with the exception of graphing platforms, almost every time I try a 'temporary' transformation I use it in a couple different platforms before deciding if I want to keep it.

Thanks for the reply.