Rename Columns
Infoveave Data Automation — Column Operations
Map old names to new ones once — every run through your workflow uses the names you actually want.
Data from external vendors, legacy systems, and different source tools rarely arrives with the column names your team expects. Rename Columns lets you fix that once inside your workflow: map the cryptic or inconsistent source headers to the names your dashboards, reports, and downstream activities rely on — and the mapping applies automatically on every subsequent run without anyone touching the file first.
What Rename Columns does
Rename dataset column headers using a visual mapping in Infoveave workflows. Standardize inconsistent field names from external sources without writing SQL or code.
Part of Infoveave Data Automation on the Unified Data Platform.
When to use Rename Columns
- You receive data from external vendors or APIs with cryptic field names like col1, field_A, or unnamed system codes
- You are merging data from multiple sources and need consistent column names before joining or aggregating
- You want to align incoming column headers with the naming convention expected by a downstream database, dashboard, or report template
- You need to add clarity before sharing or presenting a dataset — replacing technical abbreviations with human-readable labels
When to avoid it
- You need to remove columns from the dataset entirely — use Drop Columns instead
- You want to reorder columns without changing their names — Move Columns handles that
- You need to create a copy of a column under a second name while keeping the original — use Copy Columns
Where it fits in your Infoveave automation
Rename Columns is one step inside a multi-step Infoveave workflow. Chain it with other activities — no code, no manual hand-offs.
Build this workflow visually in Infoveave Data Automation — drag, connect, and schedule with no infrastructure setup.
How teams use Rename Columns
Real scenarios where this transformation saves hours of manual work.
Align Machine Log Headers to Plant Reporting Schema
A plant operations team receives hourly machine logs with field names assigned by the sensor vendor — t1, t2, rpm_a, and so on. Rename Columns maps those to Temperature Inlet, Temperature Outlet, and Motor RPM at the start of every workflow run, so all downstream aggregation and alerting steps work against consistent, human-readable headers.
Standardize Product Feed Headers for Catalog Ingestion
A retail analytics team ingests product feeds from three different suppliers, each using different column naming conventions. Rename Columns normalizes all feeds to a single schema — Product ID, Name, Category, Price — before any transformation step, eliminating the need to maintain separate workflow branches for each supplier format.
Map EHR Export Headers to Internal Data Warehouse Schema
A healthcare data team exports patient records from an EHR system with abbreviated field names like pt_id, adm_dt, and dsc_dt. Rename Columns maps these to Patient ID, Admission Date, and Discharge Date before the data enters the analytics warehouse, ensuring report templates and QA checks match expected field names without manual pre-processing.
See Rename Columns in action
Input data (left) is transformed using the configuration below. The output table (right) is ready for dashboards or downstream steps.
id -> index, product -> resultInput Data
| id | category | product | price | available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electronics | Laptop | 500 | true |
| 2 | Electronics | Camera | 350 | false |
| 3 | Furniture | Sofa | 600 | true |
Output Data
| index | category | result | price | available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electronics | Laptop | 500 | true |
| 2 | Electronics | Camera | 350 | false |
| 3 | Furniture | Sofa | 600 | true |
Configuration
Key fields to configure in the Infoveave workflow builder. Full reference available in the documentation.
Column Map
Define pairs of original column names and their replacement names. You can rename as many columns as needed in a single step. Columns not included in the mapping are left unchanged — rename only the headers that need updating and everything else passes through untouched.
Selective Renaming
Only the columns listed in the Column Map are renamed. All other columns retain their original names and values, so you can safely apply a partial rename without affecting fields that are already correctly named.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Rename Columns in Infoveave.
Also in Column Operations — and what runs before & after
Transformations in the same family as Rename Columns, often chained together in the same Infoveave workflow.
Part of Infoveave Data Automation
80+ transformations. Zero manual steps.
Rename Columns is one of over 80 transformation activities available inside Infoveave workflows. Chain transformations together — no code, no exports, no waiting for IT.
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