Importing file that has one column whose first row is empty

AlessandraPorroACN

Hello everyone,

I'm struggling with the import of a file: there is one column that has the first row empty, therefore the file won't upload properly.

I can't remove the column from the combination of properties because I need it to generate the unique key.

The only solution I've found so far is importing the file with column headers/empty headers, however I am looking for a better solution as this one would require the user to manually modify the file every time when importing.

Do you have any suggestion?

Thank you.

Tags

Importing and Exporting Data

Accepted answers

All comments

AlessandraPorroACN

Note: the original file doesn't have column headers/empty headers originally

@AlessandraPorroACN

When you map your columns you should be able to ignore the first column. Set the line items mapping to column headers and you should be fine.

AlessandraPorroACN

I can't do that because I need this column. Every month the user uploads a different file, however if the first row of the column AJ is empty, the uploading fails.

@AlessandraPorroACN

For an import file to work you do not need column headers and the first column can be in the second position. Important though that the file is .csv or .txt with some type of delimiter. Set column header row to zero. First data row to 1. Anaplan will ignore the first column. Just tested it and it worked fine.

@AlessandraPorroACN

Also, the column with missing values - if that column is pointed to a list then Anaplan does not know what to do with the row whether it's blank on the first row or not. You may have to add a line item to your system module that looks for blanks and then add another line item that adds a list item, like "None". Then import to your destination module.

AlessandraPorroACN

Unfortunately it doesn't work if one of the columns has the first row empty;

as regards your example, if you remove the 100, the import will fail.

@AlessandraPorroACN

Is column AJ pointing to a list formatted line item? Change the format to text then use another line item to test for blanks.

AlessandraPorroACN

That may actually work, but can I still do it if the file is firstly imported into a flat list, that is where the upload fails, and later on imported in the module?

@AlessandraPorroACN

Just tested this. You're right. Learn something new al the time. Only way to get that to work with this file format is to make sure the "last column" is populated. Can you add a column at the end of the file, OR can you move the last column to the left so the final column is always populated with something?

AlessandraPorroACN

I could but the user would prefer to not manually modify the file everytime.. So I was looking for a solution to avoid that

Hi @AlessandraPorroACN

are the blank values stored in the source file as " " ?

If that's the case you can try to set the text delimiter to None instead of ". That way, Anaplan recognizes the " as a value and will import the data as " " text value. You could then remove the quotation marks by using the substitute formula or an if then else statement.

Quick Links

Can you help?

Unanswered questions

How have you from-scratch built lot-level, geo-based Inventory Consumption?
We’re working on modeling inventory consumption at the lot level, accounting for shelf life considerations, since we need visibility into which lots may not consume—both for risk reporting and E&O analysis. Each item may have customers with different shelf life requirements. For example, item A may need 270 days for some…
How to bring Row data into Columns?
Hi, Can you help me, how can we get row data into columns using Unique ID? Per attached below first snapshot, I want to bring rountingOrder 4, RecipientName, Sent and Completed dates in 1 row as show in sanpshot 2. Do I need to create Hierarchy list and Map?
How to Design Simulation Planning in Anaplan with Multi-Level User Input and Step-by-Step Logging?
Hi Anaplan Community, I'm working on a simulation planning model where users need the flexibility to input pricing adjustments at any level of the product hierarchy, and I’d love your guidance on best practices. 📌 Scenario Overview: We have a 4-level product hierarchy: Brand Category Sub Category SKU (lowest level) The…