Informational computed column functions¶
This section provides syntax and examples for the informational computed column functions you can use with the Data Prep Compute tool. The informational functions let you query column values and create new columns based on the results.
FIRSTNONBLANK¶
Compares the values of two or more columns and returns the first non-blank value. This function provides the same output as Excel's FIRSTNONBLANK function.
Syntax
FIRSTNONBLANK(ARGUMENT_1, [ARGUMENT_2, ...])]()
ARGUMENT_1
is the first column.ARGUMENT_2
, ... [optional] are the additional columns.
Example
FIRSTNONBLANK(@Current Employer@, @Previous Employer@, @School@)
Notes on use
If only one column is specified, the value of the provided column is returned.
If no non-blank values are found, the FIRSTNONBLANK
function will return an empty cell (unless you include a final argument for what value to display in the output when no non-blank values are found).
ISBLANK¶
Checks for blank or null values within a specified column. If a blank or null value is found, the value TRUE
is returned.
Syntax
ISBLANK(ARGUMENT)
ARGUMENT
is the column to check.
Example
ISBLANK(@Column@)
ISDATE¶
Syntax
ISDATE(ARGUMENT)
ARGUMENT
is the column to check.
Example
ISDATE(@Column@)
Notes on use
The values must be datetime objects, not datetime text strings. Datasets imported from an Excel spreadsheet will automatically import dates as datetime objects. Dates from all other sources need to be converted to a datetime object using the DATEVALUE
function. See the DATEVALUE()
section of this article.
ISNULL¶
Checks for blanks or null values within a specified column. If a blank or null value is found, the value TRUE
is returned.
Syntax
ISNULL(ARGUMENT)
ARGUMENT
is the column to check.
Example
ISNULL(@Column@)
ISNUMBER¶
Checks for numeric values within a specified column. If a numeric value is found, the value TRUE is returned.
Syntax
ISNUMBER(ARGUMENT)
ARGUMENT
is the column to check.
Example
ISNUMBER(@Column@)
ISTEXT¶
Checks for text within a specified column. If a blank or null is found, the value TRUE
is returned.
Syntax
ISTEXT(ARGUMENT)
ARGUMENT
is the column to check.
Example
ISTEXT(@Column@)