Omid - Challenge 291

data-challenges
advanced-exercises
🔰 Write a formula to randomly shuffle the columns of the Question table, so that their order changes each time the formula recalculates.
Published

March 24, 2026

Illustration for Omid - Challenge 291

Challenge Description

🔰 Write a formula to randomly shuffle the columns of the Question table, so that their order changes each time the formula recalculates.

Solutions

library(tidyverse)
library(readxl)

path = "files/200-299/291/CH-291 Randomly Reorder Columns.xlsx"
input = read_excel(path, range = "B2:E9")

result = input %>%
  select(sample(everything()))

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook ranges needed for the challenge

  • 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

path = "200-299/291/CH-291 Randomly Reorder Columns.xlsx"
input = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="B:E", skiprows=1, nrows=8)
result = input.sample(frac=1, axis=1)
print(result)

  • 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.