Advanced Data Parsing and Manipulation in Excel
Instruction: Describe a method to parse and manipulate a complex, unstructured dataset into a structured format using Excel.
Context: This question evaluates the candidate's skills in data preprocessing and cleaning, crucial for preparing data for analysis.
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Identify the actual format and schema before parsing. A quoted CSV record is not equivalent to splitting every comma, and arbitrary prose may require a different extraction process. Preserve the original input and create a repeatable derived transformation.
For a CSV containing an ID, date and amount, use Power Query's Text/CSV importer with the correct delimiter, encoding and quote handling. Keep IDs as text so 00123 remains 00123...