Replacing Non-Printable Characters in Alteryx: A Step-by-Step Guide
Understanding Non-Printable Characters
When working with data in Alteryx, you may encounter non-printable characters that can cause issues with data processing and analysis. These characters, also known as control characters, are not visible on the screen but can affect the integrity of your data. In this article, we will explore how to replace non-printable characters in Alteryx and improve data quality.
Non-printable characters can be introduced into your data through various sources, such as text files, databases, or user input. They can cause problems with data sorting, filtering, and joining, and can even lead to errors in your workflow. To avoid these issues, it's essential to remove or replace non-printable characters from your data.
Replacing Non-Printable Characters in Alteryx
Non-printable characters are ASCII characters that are not visible on the screen. They include characters such as null, tab, line feed, and carriage return. These characters can be represented using ASCII codes or Unicode escape sequences. In Alteryx, you can use the `ASCII` function to identify non-printable characters in your data.
To replace non-printable characters in Alteryx, you can use the `RegEx_Replace` function. This function allows you to search for patterns in your data and replace them with a specified string. You can use regular expressions to match non-printable characters and replace them with a space, null, or any other character. Additionally, you can use the `Trim` function to remove leading and trailing whitespace from your data, which can also help to improve data quality.