Comparison PDF & Excel

Question

Hi everyone!

I feel like I'm being annoying asking questions every other day on here.

However, I'm stuck on this one...

I am attempting to create a workflow that compares an Excel sheet to a folder that contains PDF files. So what I am trying to achieve is when I run the workflow, I want to see what is missing for example:

Excel

Column A has the names John, Jake, Sam, etc.

PDF Folder - contains John and Jake PDF files

I want the workflow to show me what exactly is missing.

So far I have an Input for my Excel sheet and the directory for my folder path (unfortunately I'm unable to provide a screenshot).

Data Cleanse for both input/directory -> Summary -> Join -> Formula

This one is giving me a hard time, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

beckd_wp · Answer

Hi All,

Quite recently, I discovered Alteryx and decided to implement it for use in my daily BAU activities.

Similar to what James posted below, I am looking to perform a comparison between an Excel spreadsheet and PDF. I realize it may take some time to build a complete workflow, but as I’m continuing to learn this software, I was wondering if anyone had tips or tricks to getting started.

Any assistance is appreciated.

Thanks!

JamesJL · Answer

Unfortunately I do not have my work laptop... I'm getting it replaced so I am handwriting everything down at the moment.

Are there formulas that I would need to implement in this workflow?

ellen-wiegand · Answer

Don't feel annoying, we love questions here at Alteryx! Could you provide a sample workflow example of what you're trying to accomplish?

The J output anchor of your join tool will have all of the names that your folder and your file have in common (if you've cleansed/ set it up correctly). The L and R output anchors will have what's in the PDFs but not the excel file and vice versa.