Select Tool
Use Select to include, exclude, and reorder the columns of data that pass through your workflow.
Excluding columns can limit the data passing through a workflow and improve performance. You can also use the Select tool to modify the data type, rename a column, or resequence columns.
Other tools include the Select tool functionality, including the Join Tool.
Tip
This tool has a One Tool Example. Visit Access Sample Workflows to learn how to access this and many other examples directly in Designer Cloud.
Tool Components
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Figure: Select Tool with anchors.
The Select tool has 2 anchors.
Input anchor: Use the input anchor to select specific data.
Output anchor: Outputs the selected data.
Configure the Tool
Use the table in the configuration window to modify the incoming data stream. Each row in the table represents a column in the data. Column identifies the name of each column in the data.
Search Columns
Before you start updating your columns, you might want to limit your list so that you can perform updates on only a subset of the columns. This is helpful if your dataset contains many columns.
To do this, use the Search box at the top of the Configuration window. Enter a keyword to search the Column and Rename columns to return matches. The search isn't case-sensitive.
You can then perform various actions (like select, deselect, rename, etc.) on only the columns from your search. Think of the Search box as a way to filter your list of columns so that you can update only a subset of your data.
To view your entire list of columns again, use the "x" icon to clear out the Search box.
Select, Deselect, and Reorder Columns
To include a column in your workflow, select the checkbox next to the column name. Clear the checkbox to exclude the column.
To reorder the columns of data...
Use the Move Up or Move Down arrows.
Select and hold the reorder icon and drag the column up or down.
Note
The Unknown column is selected by default. It allows new columns in the data. Move the column to the location where you want a new column to be.
Modify Data Type
To change the data type of a column, select Type and then select the new data type from the dropdown.
Rename a Column
To change the name of a column, select the Rename column and enter the new name.
Commas as Decimal Separators
Select the Use Commas as Decimal Separators (String/Numeric Conversions only) checkbox to use a comma (,) as a decimal separator.
View More Actions
After you highlight columns of your data in the table, select the More Actions menu from the 3-dot icon to view configuration options...
Move Columns to Top: Move highlighted columns to the top of the table.
Move Columns to Bottom: Move highlighted columns to the bottom of the table.
Add Prefix: Add a prefix to highlighted column names.
Add Suffix: Add a suffix to highlighted column names.
Clear Column Renames: Remove the new name for either all columns or only the highlighted columns.
Change Data Type: Change the data type of highlighted columns at once.
Remove Missing Columns: Remove all columns that are no longer included in the data.