Omid - Challenge 216

data-challenges
advanced-exercises
🔰 Question Result ID Prefix Root Suffix AB123 AB
Published

March 24, 2026

Illustration for Omid - Challenge 216

Challenge Description

🔰 Question Result ID Prefix Root Suffix AB123 AB

Solutions

library(tidyverse)
library(readxl)

path = "files/CH-216 Column Splitting.xlsx"
input = read_excel(path, range = "B2:B7")
test  = read_excel(path, range = "D2:F7")

result = input %>%
  extract(ID, into = c("Prefix", "Root", "Suffix"),
          regex = "^([A-Z]{2})(.*)([A-Za-z0-9]{1})$")

all.equal(result, test)
#> [1] TRUE

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook ranges needed for the challenge

    • Parses the text patterns directly instead of relying on manual cleanup

  • Strengths:

    • The R solution stays close to the workbook rule and keeps the transformation compact.

  • Areas for Improvement:

    • The code assumes the sheet structure and source ranges remain stable.

  • Gem:

    • The strongest part of the solution is choosing the right intermediate representation before shaping the final output.
import pandas as pd
import re

path = "CH-216 Column Splitting.xlsx"

input = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="B", skiprows=1, nrows=6)
test = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="D:F", skiprows=1, nrows=6)
result = input["ID"].str.extract(r"^([A-Z]{2})(.*)([A-Za-z0-9]{1})$")
result.columns = ["Prefix", "Root", "Suffix"]

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook ranges needed for the challenge

  • Strengths:

    • The Python version follows the same rule in a direct dataframe-oriented implementation.

  • Areas for Improvement:

    • The code assumes the workbook layout remains stable, so any sheet redesign would require small adjustments.

  • Gem:

    • The implementation stays close to the original workbook rule instead of adding unnecessary abstraction.

Difficulty Level

This task is moderate:

  • The business rule is readable, but the workbook still requires careful implementation to reach the expected layout.