DEPR: keep_date_col, nested parse_dates in read_csv

doc/source/user_guide/io.rst

@@ -836,6 +836,7 @@ order) and the new column names will be the concatenation of the component
 column names:
 
 .. ipython:: python
+   :okwarning:
 
    data = (
        "KORD,19990127, 19:00:00, 18:56:00, 0.8100\n"
@@ -856,6 +857,7 @@ By default the parser removes the component date columns, but you can choose
 to retain them via the ``keep_date_col`` keyword:
 
 .. ipython:: python
+   :okwarning:
 
    df = pd.read_csv(
        "tmp.csv", header=None, parse_dates=[[1, 2], [1, 3]], keep_date_col=True
@@ -871,6 +873,7 @@ single column.
 You can also use a dict to specify custom name columns:
 
 .. ipython:: python
+   :okwarning:
 
    date_spec = {"nominal": [1, 2], "actual": [1, 3]}
    df = pd.read_csv("tmp.csv", header=None, parse_dates=date_spec)
@@ -883,6 +886,7 @@ data columns:
 
 
 .. ipython:: python
+   :okwarning:
 
    date_spec = {"nominal": [1, 2], "actual": [1, 3]}
    df = pd.read_csv(
@@ -902,6 +906,10 @@ data columns:
    for your data to store datetimes in this format, load times will be
    significantly faster, ~20x has been observed.
 
+.. deprecated:: 2.2.0
+   Combining date columns inside read_csv is deprecated. Use ``pd.to_datetime``
+   on the relevant result columns instead.
+
 
 Date parsing functions
 ++++++++++++++++++++++

doc/source/whatsnew/v2.2.0.rst

@@ -480,6 +480,7 @@ Other Deprecations
 - Deprecated strings ``H``, ``S``, ``U``, and ``N`` denoting units in :func:`to_timedelta` (:issue:`52536`)
 - Deprecated strings ``H``, ``T``, ``S``, ``L``, ``U``, and ``N`` denoting units in :class:`Timedelta` (:issue:`52536`)
 - Deprecated strings ``T``, ``S``, ``L``, ``U``, and ``N`` denoting frequencies in :class:`Minute`, :class:`Second`, :class:`Milli`, :class:`Micro`, :class:`Nano` (:issue:`52536`)
+- Deprecated support for combining parsed datetime columns in :func:`read_csv` along with the ``keep_date_col`` keyword (:issue:`55569`)
 - Deprecated the :attr:`.DataFrameGroupBy.grouper` and :attr:`SeriesGroupBy.grouper`; these attributes will be removed in a future version of pandas (:issue:`56521`)
 - Deprecated the :class:`.Grouping` attributes ``group_index``, ``result_index``, and ``group_arraylike``; these will be removed in a future version of pandas (:issue:`56148`)
 - Deprecated the ``errors="ignore"`` option in :func:`to_datetime`, :func:`to_timedelta`, and :func:`to_numeric`; explicitly catch exceptions instead (:issue:`54467`)

pandas/io/parsers/readers.py

@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 from pandas.core.dtypes.common import (
     is_file_like,
     is_float,
+    is_hashable,
     is_integer,
     is_list_like,
     pandas_dtype,
@@ -649,7 +650,7 @@ def read_csv(
     skip_blank_lines: bool = ...,
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] | None = ...,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
-    keep_date_col: bool = ...,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = ...,
     dayfirst: bool = ...,
@@ -709,7 +710,7 @@ def read_csv(
     skip_blank_lines: bool = ...,
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] | None = ...,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
-    keep_date_col: bool = ...,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = ...,
     dayfirst: bool = ...,
@@ -769,7 +770,7 @@ def read_csv(
     skip_blank_lines: bool = ...,
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] | None = ...,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
-    keep_date_col: bool = ...,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = ...,
     dayfirst: bool = ...,
@@ -829,7 +830,7 @@ def read_csv(
     skip_blank_lines: bool = ...,
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] | None = ...,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
-    keep_date_col: bool = ...,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = ...,
     dayfirst: bool = ...,
@@ -903,7 +904,7 @@ def read_csv(
     # Datetime Handling
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] | None = None,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = lib.no_default,
-    keep_date_col: bool = False,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = lib.no_default,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = lib.no_default,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = None,
     dayfirst: bool = False,
@@ -934,6 +935,38 @@ def read_csv(
     storage_options: StorageOptions | None = None,
     dtype_backend: DtypeBackend | lib.NoDefault = lib.no_default,
 ) -> DataFrame | TextFileReader:
+    if keep_date_col is not lib.no_default:
+        # GH#55569
+        warnings.warn(
+            "The 'keep_date_col' keyword in pd.read_csv is deprecated and "
+            "will be removed in a future version. Explicitly remove unwanted "
+            "columns after parsing instead.",
+            FutureWarning,
+            stacklevel=find_stack_level(),
+        )
+    else:
+        keep_date_col = False
+
+    if lib.is_list_like(parse_dates):
+        # GH#55569
+        depr = False
+        # error: Item "bool" of "bool | Sequence[Hashable] | None" has no
+        # attribute "__iter__" (not iterable)
+        if not all(is_hashable(x) for x in parse_dates):  # type: ignore[union-attr]
+            depr = True
+        elif isinstance(parse_dates, dict) and any(
+            lib.is_list_like(x) for x in parse_dates.values()
+        ):
+            depr = True
+        if depr:
+            warnings.warn(
+                "Support for nested sequences for 'parse_dates' in pd.read_csv "
+                "is deprecated. Combine the desired columns with pd.to_datetime "
+                "after parsing instead.",
+                FutureWarning,
+                stacklevel=find_stack_level(),
+            )
+
     if infer_datetime_format is not lib.no_default:
         warnings.warn(
             "The argument 'infer_datetime_format' is deprecated and will "
@@ -1004,7 +1037,7 @@ def read_table(
     skip_blank_lines: bool = ...,
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] = ...,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
-    keep_date_col: bool = ...,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = ...,
     dayfirst: bool = ...,
@@ -1061,7 +1094,7 @@ def read_table(
     skip_blank_lines: bool = ...,
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] = ...,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
-    keep_date_col: bool = ...,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = ...,
     dayfirst: bool = ...,
@@ -1118,7 +1151,7 @@ def read_table(
     skip_blank_lines: bool = ...,
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] = ...,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
-    keep_date_col: bool = ...,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = ...,
     dayfirst: bool = ...,
@@ -1175,7 +1208,7 @@ def read_table(
     skip_blank_lines: bool = ...,
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] = ...,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
-    keep_date_col: bool = ...,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = ...,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = ...,
     dayfirst: bool = ...,
@@ -1248,7 +1281,7 @@ def read_table(
     # Datetime Handling
     parse_dates: bool | Sequence[Hashable] = False,
     infer_datetime_format: bool | lib.NoDefault = lib.no_default,
-    keep_date_col: bool = False,
+    keep_date_col: bool | lib.NoDefault = lib.no_default,
     date_parser: Callable | lib.NoDefault = lib.no_default,
     date_format: str | dict[Hashable, str] | None = None,
     dayfirst: bool = False,
@@ -1279,6 +1312,29 @@ def read_table(
     storage_options: StorageOptions | None = None,
     dtype_backend: DtypeBackend | lib.NoDefault = lib.no_default,
 ) -> DataFrame | TextFileReader:
+    if keep_date_col is not lib.no_default:
+        # GH#55569
+        warnings.warn(
+            "The 'keep_date_col' keyword in pd.read_table is deprecated and "
+            "will be removed in a future version. Explicitly remove unwanted "
+            "columns after parsing instead.",
+            FutureWarning,
+            stacklevel=find_stack_level(),
+        )
+    else:
+        keep_date_col = False
+
+    # error: Item "bool" of "bool | Sequence[Hashable]" has no attribute "__iter__"
+    if lib.is_list_like(parse_dates) and not all(is_hashable(x) for x in parse_dates):  # type: ignore[union-attr]
+        # GH#55569
+        warnings.warn(
+            "Support for nested sequences for 'parse_dates' in pd.read_table "
+            "is deprecated. Combine the desired columns with pd.to_datetime "
+            "after parsing instead.",
+            FutureWarning,
+            stacklevel=find_stack_level(),
+        )
+
     if infer_datetime_format is not lib.no_default:
         warnings.warn(
             "The argument 'infer_datetime_format' is deprecated and will "