Split Column
Infoveave Data Automation — Text & String
One column with pipe-separated category levels becomes three clean dimension columns — each segment in its own place for filtering and grouping.
Category hierarchies, file paths, composite identifiers, and structured codes are frequently stored in a single delimited column because they were designed for display rather than analysis. When you need to filter on the second level of a category tree, group by the first segment of a path, or join on a specific position in a composite code, you cannot do it while the data is packed into one cell. Split Column separates those delimited segments into individual columns — one column per position in the delimited string — giving each segment its own filterable, groupable dimension column.
What Split Column does
Split a single delimited column into multiple separate columns in Infoveave. Extract hierarchical paths, composite identifiers, and structured multi-part fields into individual named columns for filtering and analysis.
When to use Split Column
- You have a category hierarchy, file path, or classification code stored as a single delimited column — such as Electronics|Mobiles|Computers — and need the individual levels as separate dimension columns for filtering and grouping
- A source system exports composite identifiers with multiple structured segments joined by a delimiter, and you need each segment as its own column for joining against reference tables or building dimension keys
- You want to extract the first, second, or Nth position from a delimited field to use as a filter or group-by dimension without splitting the entire column
- A BI tool or reporting layer requires hierarchical data in separate columns — one per level — rather than as a path string in a single column
When to avoid it
- You want each split value to become its own row rather than its own column — use Split and Fold Columns for row-based expansion of delimited text
- You want to split an email address, URL, or HTTP query string — use Split Email Address, Split URL, or Split HTTP Query, which handle those specific formats with named output columns for each known component
- The column contains varying numbers of delimiters and you need all unique values as binary indicator columns — use Split and Unfold for one-hot encoding of variable-length delimited fields
Where it fits in your Infoveave automation
Split Column 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 Split Column
Real scenarios where this transformation saves hours of manual work.
Extract Category Hierarchy Levels for Department-Level Reporting
A retail data team receives a product catalog where each product has a category column containing the full category path — for example Electronics|Mobiles|Computers. Split Column separates the path into three new columns named category_1, category_2, and category_3. The team can then filter products by top-level category, group sales by second-level subcategory, and build hierarchical drill-down views in their BI dashboard — all from dimension columns rather than text pattern matching.
Parse Part Number Segments for Component-Level Analysis
A manufacturing team tracks components using part numbers structured as ProductLine-MaterialCode-Revision — for example HW-ALU-03. Split Column separates the part number into product_line, material_code, and revision columns using a hyphen separator. The team can then filter components by product line, aggregate material usage by material code, and flag outdated revisions — analytics that require the segments as separate columns rather than as a single string.
Break Down Log File Paths for Directory-Level Aggregation
A platform engineering team processes file access logs where each log record includes a file_path column containing the full path like /app/services/auth/login.py. Split Column separates the path into four columns using a forward slash separator. The team can then aggregate access events by service directory, identify the most frequently accessed modules, and track path depth distribution across the log dataset.
See Split Column in action
Input data (left) is transformed using the configuration below. The output table (right) is ready for dashboards or downstream steps.
category| (pipe)newEnabledInput Data
| category | quantity |
|---|---|
| Electronics|Mobiles|Computers | 10 |
| Home|Kitchen|Furniture | 20 |
| Home|Kitchen | 20 |
| Furniture|Kitchen|Electronics | 20 |
| Electronics|Mobiles|Furniture | 20 |
Output Data
| category | quantity | new_1 | new_2 | new_3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronics|Mobiles|Computers | 10 | Electronics | Mobiles | Computers |
| Home|Kitchen|Furniture | 20 | Home | Kitchen | Furniture |
| Home|Kitchen | 20 | Home | Kitchen | |
| Furniture|Kitchen|Electronics | 20 | Furniture | Kitchen | Electronics |
| Electronics|Mobiles|Furniture | 20 | Electronics | Mobiles | Furniture |
Configuration
Key fields to configure in the Infoveave workflow builder. Full reference available in the documentation.
Separator
The delimiter character that separates segments within cells in the source column. Common separators are pipe, comma, hyphen, forward slash, underscore, or any other character used to join the parts. Each occurrence of the separator causes a new output column to be created. The number of output columns equals the maximum number of segments found across all rows.
Output Columns Prefix
All new split columns are named using this prefix followed by a position number — new_1, new_2, new_3 for a prefix of new. Choose a prefix that reflects what the segments represent — for a category path column, a prefix like category_level_ makes the output columns self-describing.
Include Original
When enabled, the original unsplit column is retained alongside the new split columns. When disabled, only the new split columns appear in the output. Retaining the original is useful for audit purposes or when downstream steps still need the full path alongside the individual segment columns.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Split Column in Infoveave.
Also in Text & String — and what runs before & after
Transformations in the same family as Split Column, often chained together in the same Infoveave workflow.
Part of Infoveave Data Automation
80+ transformations. Zero manual steps.
Split Column 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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