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Text To Columns Tool

The Text To Columns tool takes the text in one column and splits the string value into separate, multiple columns (or rows), based on a single or multiple delimiter(s).

Configuration Properties 

  1. Specify the field to split. Choose this field from the drop down list.
  2. Specify the delimiter (s) to use to split the data on. You can type the character in this space (i.e. &, :, ',etc.) or use the following:

    If you wanted to separate a field using a space OR tab, you would put \s\t in the delimiter. This is especially handy with the Skip Empty Fields in the Advanced Options.

  3. Choose your method for splitting:
    4. ClosedSplit to Columns: will split a single column of data at each instance of the specified delimiter into multiple columns.

    1. Specify the New Field Root name and the number of New Fields to create.

    2. Alteryx will append a number sequentially to the new field root name. (i.e. New Field Root Name: NAME and Number of New Fields: 3  will result in 3 new fields added to the table: NAME1, NAME2, NAME3)

    3. Specify the action to perform in the event there is additional data for the number of columns that you had specified in step 2.

      Options include:

      Leave Extra in Last Field: The extra data will be left in the last column
       

      Drop Extra with Warning: The extra data will be dropped but a warning will appear in the Results window (i.e.● RegEx (7): The Value "E & E SOCCER CAMP" had too many parts to fit # of output fields)
       

      Drop Extra without Warning: The extra data will be dropped and you will receive no warning.
       

      Error: the workflow will fail to run and an error indicating as such will appear in the Results window (i.e.● RegEx (7): The Value "E & E SOCCER CAMP" had too many parts to fit # of output fields)

    ClosedSplit to Rows: will split a single column of data at each instance of the specified delimiter into multiple rows.

    You will want to have some sort of key column in your record so you don't lose track of which value came from which row.

Advanced Options

There are five advanced options that allow you to specify types of delimiters to ignore. You can select any number of these options or select none at all.

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