Omid - Challenge 347

data-challenges
advanced-exercises
🔰 Question Result ID XMS AA 21 ID 1 ID 2
Published

March 24, 2026

Illustration for Omid - Challenge 347

Challenge Description

🔰 Question Result ID XMS AA 21 ID 1 ID 2

Solutions

library(tidyverse)
library(readxl)

path <- "300-399/347/CH-347 Column Splitting.xlsx"
input <- read_excel(path, range = "B3:B8")
test <- read_excel(path, range = "F3:I8")

result = input %>%
  mutate(
    ID = str_replace_all(ID, "(?<=\\D{2})(?=\\d{2})|(?<=\\d{2})(?=\\D{2})", "|")
  ) %>%
  separate_wider_delim(
    ID,
    delim = "|",
    names_sep = " ",
    too_few = "align_start"
  )

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

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook ranges needed for the challenge

    • Builds the intermediate columns that drive the final result

    • 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 numpy as np
import pandas as pd
import re

path = "300-399/347/CH-347 Column Splitting.xlsx"
input = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="B", skiprows=2, nrows=6)
test = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="F:I", skiprows=2, nrows=6)
test = test.fillna("")
for col in test.columns:
    test[col] = test[col].apply(lambda x: str(int(x)) if isinstance(x, float) and x.is_integer() else str(x))

def add_pipe(s):
    return re.sub(r"(?<=\D{2})(?=\d{2})|(?<=\d{2})(?=\D{2})", "|", str(s))
input['ID'] = input['ID'].astype(str).apply(add_pipe)
split_cols = input['ID'].str.split('|', expand=True)

for i, col in enumerate(split_cols.columns):
    input[f'ID {i+1}'] = split_cols[col].astype(str)

result = input[[f'ID {i+1}' for i in range(split_cols.shape[1])]]
result = result.replace({'None': ''}).astype(str)

print(result.equals(test))
# True

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook ranges needed for the challenge

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

    • Applies the rule iteratively until the output stabilizes

  • 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 core logic is clear, but the correct transformation pattern is not obvious from the raw input.

  • The challenge combines multiple reshaping, grouping, or parsing steps.