How to shift data one column to the left if that entire column is null?

[AkisM]

I am inputting multiple excels at once, auto-config by position (can't auto-config by name due to irregularities in the files). While the inputs are supposedly of somewhat similar format, they're not really, so I have to standardize them. Some of my inputs look like this:

F1	F2	F3	F4
George	423242	12/03/2012
1.86m	432352	12/05/2020

but on some of my inputs, for whatever reason, the data is preceded by an empty column, such as this

F1	F2	F3	F4
	Mike	423425	15/05/2013
	1.73m	525623	30/08/2017

What kind of tool/formula/rule can I use to make sure the inputs where the entire 1st column is empty, all the other data is shifted one column to the left, so that I can unionize it with the other data and process it as 1 stream? Note that the data should only be shifted if the entirety of column F1 is empty. Not wherever a single cell of F1 is empty

[DavidP]

In Alteryx Designer 2020.2, the Data Cleanse Tool has been updated with options to remove null columns or rows. 

You can also do this by transposing the data set, filter [Value] with an !IsNull() or !IsEmpty() statement and CrossTab back to the original format. If you do this you should add a RecordID first and mark that as a Key field in the Transpose and also Group by in the CrossTab.

[Assaf_m]

Check attached solution 

Let me know if it works for you

[AkisM]

Hi @DavidP , unfortunately I can't upgrade to that version.

Could you attach a sample workflow using the method you describe? The transpose tool is something I still need to work on a bit

[DavidP · Accepted solution]

Have a look at the below example

[Emil_Hasanov]

Thank you! it is really charming solution 🙂 and it helped me a lot!