Find and Replace Tool

Question

We have a list of names that have some underscores in the name that come from a report and we are trying to replace those with a name without the underscore. We are using the find and replace tool after a separate input that has a listing of the original name and then the name we want it replaced with. When we run the workflow the find and replace is not working. I have included screenshots. The first screenshot shows the results and the _ is still in the name.

This screenshot is the input list of names for the find and replace. The client column is the original name and the customer column is what we want it replaced with.

We aren't sure which setting is the correct one to use in the find and replace tool. We've tried them all and none work!

Thank you in advance!

SPetrie · Answer

You are searching the wrong field.

You are looking in the client field and comparing it to the customer field when you should be comparing it to the other client field.

The way you have it setup, it will match the correct name to anypart of the incorrect one, and then replace only the correct part with itself, leaving the bad part.

Customer ABC will be matched to ABC_Bad and it will replace ABC with ABC, your end result is no change.

Want you want is to compare the two Client columns so that ABC_Bad matches with ABC_Bad and that gets replaced with ABC.

With what I can see of the example data, can you also use a text to column tool to split the column with underscore as the delimiter? That may be easier than maintaining a find/replace list if you always want what comes before the first underscore.

ArnaldoSandoval · Answer

Hi CherieACI

I tried to replicate your problem the best as I could from the screenshot (the only option); attached is my test workflow, I took the sample data from Alteryx Find and Replace tool, changed columns names to Client and Client and Customer, picked up  duke_CCNC; duke_CCSC and duke_CRNC, it works.

If you share a workflow replicating your issue perhaps it will be better to help you.

HTH

Arnaldo

2023_04_02_Find_and_Replace.yxmd