Dynamic Select- Formula Mode - False Anchor...

[apathetichell]

Hi!

So Dynamic Select is a wonderful tool - but in Formula mode it effectively acts as a filter. It drops all of the other fields which don't match the filter and they disappear - floating in the workflow ether, dreaming of the Join tool or other way they can be given XML life anew.  It would be super cool if in stead of just having those Fields which are true exit and continue into the workflow if the False fields could be launched back into the workflow space via a False anchor like on a filter tool....

Hypothetical situation - I'm looking to isolate some fields and convert them to a different format based upon name or other characteristic. I'm doing this not to jettison my data set, but to improve it. I run dynamic select and multi-field tool, and suddenly I'm scratching my head. How do I rejoin my workflow with my new and improved data easily? The most direct, albeit stylistically immature way is apparently to a a new_ to my newly created new type fields, join the old fields versus the datastream and drop both of the old fields in place of the New_ versions (soon to shed their prefixes in a dynamic rename)... It works, but it could be much easier.

Thanks!

[CristonS]

hey @apathetichell, if I've got this right, similarly we could add a "Select via Formula" option to the Multi-Field Formula tool, so you could improve the fields you've selected via formula? Because if there were a "False" anchor on the new Dynamic Select, you'd still have to rejoin the two data streams. Just checking to make sure I understand your use case correctly! I can definitely see the value in this idea. Thanks for the feedback!

[apathetichell]

Hi @CristonS - Yes, that would be a fantastic alternative. Just to be clear - the value of the False anchor on dynamic select is that when you want to rejoin your fields which you are modifying via dynamic select and you are in a dynamic workflow with unknown or changing fields, I found that you need to union/join to a dataset with the fields your are modifying omitted. The easiest way to do this is with a second dynamic select tool - this time the inverse of the first one (save a primary key for Join of course). The process of recreating the datastream by a second dynamic select tool and selecting it with the inverse is much less intuitive than the false anchor combine - obviously multi-field formula "select via formula" would do the job even better....

I have a few other quick tool improvements to post - but they are almost entirely about adding grouping/field options...