Flash Fill

Resolved · Low Priority · Version 365

Tue 31 Jul 2018, 15:39 Delegate Annie said...

Annie has attended:
Excel Intermediate course

Flash Fill

When using flash fill to separate first name and surname into separate columns - double barrelled surnames such as mine Walwyn-Jones don't fill correctly, it only took over the Jones into the surname column and missed of the Walwyn completely?

Tue 31 Jul 2018, 16:54 Trainer Wendy said...

RE: Flash Fill

Hi Annie

Thank you for using our forum.

When you used Flash Fill to separate your data, was Walwyn-Jones separated by a space?

Flash Fill does sometimes need a few cells to be completed before it picks up the correct "pattern" in your data

Please let me know if this resolves your query

Kind regards
Wendy Canelas
Microsoft Office Trainer

Tue 31 Jul 2018, 16:59 Delegate Annie said...

RE: Flash Fill

Hi Wendy

Thank you - there is a space between first name and surname beginning but no space between the double barrelled name just a hyphen. As follows:

Emily Smith Emily Smith
Annie Walwyn-Jones Annie Jones
Kirsty Monteith Kirsty Monteith
Adam Jones Adam Jones

However, also some surnames are double barrelled but without the hyphen what happens then?

Wed 1 Aug 2018, 16:05 Trainer Wendy said...

RE: Flash Fill

Hi Annie

Unfortunately if your data isn't following the same structure and format, this could be really difficult for Excel to distinguish between the different bits of text inside the cell

It does work with the double barrelled HYPHENATED surnames but you would need to move them to the second cell and complete two cells instead of one before Flash Fill recognises the pattern

Hope this helps

Kind regards
Wendy Canelas
Microsoft Office Trainer