Introducing Data from Hell:
Watch out, its data from hell. In this new video series, we are going to look at some nutty, frustrating and fun data reshaping challenges and solve them using Excel. We will use Power Query, Formulas, VBA or other features as needed to free this data from damnation.
For our first installment, let’s reshape unevenly spaced list of values to a table.
Unevenly Spaced List -> Tabular format
Let’s say you have a list with some values. They are separated by blank cells. You want to convert this to a table, so related values are on same row. But the table can have any number of columns depending on how big the chunks are.
Something like this:
Enter Power Query (Get & Transform Data)
You guessed right. This data is too much out of whack for formula based solution. So let’s reshape it using Power Query aka Get & Transform Data.
The process goes like this:
- Load the data in to query editor
- Replace nulls (blank cells) with something that is not part of your data, like %^%
- Using Text.Combine, concatenate all values to a single value, separated by some symbol that is not part of data, like =
- Convert this single value to a table and split by the symbol used in step 2.
- Calculate number of = symbols in each row using Text.Length and Text.Replace functions in to a new column
- Figure out the maximum of this new column as a variable. Name it as MaxCols
- Remove the extra column created in step 5
- Split the first column by delimiter set in step 3 with number of columns set to MaxCols.
- Load data back to Excel.
Data from Hell – Convert unevenly spaced list to table – Power Query tutorial
As this process requires a bit of tinkering with Power Query functions and a few false starts, I made a tutorial. I woke at 4AM to record this. Just kidding, I woke up because my nose was all blocked up and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I opened up Excel for some play and recorded this. Check it out below.
You can also watch this video on our YouTube Channel.
Download Example Workbook
Click here to download the example workbook for this Power Query tutorial. Try reshaping the data yourself first, you will learn a lot about PQ and how to use it for your advantage.
More Power Query Recipes for you
Power Query (or Get & Transform Data as it is called in newer versions of Excel) is an incredibly powerful tool to extract, reshape and merge your data sets. Check out below tutorials and recipes for more.
22 Responses to “Master Excel 2007 Ribbon with this Free Learning Guide”
Thank you, kind sir. Well done with the baby making.
I cannot get signed up for your newsletter. I tied both this email address and churchill2001@hotmail.com. never a response.
I cannot get signed up for your newsletter. I tied both this email address and churchill2001_at_hotmail_dot_com. never a response for either attempt.
@Doug, it shows that your email address is pending verification. Can you check your inbox (and may be spam folder too) for an email from me? The subject will be "Activate Subscription to Get your Free Excel Tips E-book"
[...] PPS: If you are struggling with ribbon, you should check out ribbon learning guide. [...]
Very Useful Info..Keep it up..
@Ajay.. you are welcome 🙂
how do u download microsoft excel for free?
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx
Select Office
Free Trial
[...] Excel 2010 UI looks considerably better and less stressful than 2007. The colors are dull and subtle. The icons don’t call for attention unless you want to do something. The menus / ribbons feel smoother and slicker. [Learn to use Excel Ribbon with this Free e-Book] [...]
I can't open this pdf. I get the error message:
You do not have the required license to open this file.
Please request a license from the creator of the file, and add it using the license manager and they try opening it again.
What gives??
I downloaded the file again and it worked this time. Strange. (First file was 116 KB, second was 1644 KB... ???)
[...] More ribbon goodness | Free e-book to learn Excel Ribbon [...]
Hi Chandoo,
thanks for sharing your Excel 2007 learning experience with us; unfortunately the link to the pdf of the free Excel 2007 learning guide seems broken: my Acrobate Readers flags: "Unkown file type or corrupte data".
Have a nice day
Michael
well done this is great
Can somebody just provide a link the classic TAB exportedUI files for MS Office 2003 for us to use in office 2007/2010?. searching online, everybody just wnats to make a buck online with silly Classic Tab installers which do nothing more than inport exportedUI files for you.
Don't give me a ribbon how to guide, just give me free exportedUI files. I should not have to pay anyone for this, it is free XML, MS should have included this to begin with.
thanks
Dear.
There are a set of debit values and a set ot credit values in a column. I want a vba code by whcich the debit value plus a single / multiple credit value is zero that needs to be marked .
finally i will come to know out of the avaibale debits which cannot be used the with avilable credits either single or multiple values.
If multiple matching sets are available let it take the 1st or the 2nd one its not an issue.
Column A Ref
-1000 A
-5000 B
-8000 C
800 A
100 A
100 A
2000 B
3000 B
13000
15000
hi...
how to make this add-ins and display in ribbon... check this sample : http://www.cprsoft.com/GCDemo01.htm
thank you sir...
Please tell me format painter short cut key In excel ?
Thanks In Advance
thankfully.likeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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