Remove data column activity - bug?

[SenorChang]

Hello community,

I have implemented an automation where I created a 3 columns DT and 2 columns are populated via an Excel sheet.
The 3rd column is filled by the transaction items.

For the automation it is required to delete the first 2 columns after the transaction items have been processed.
I realized this with performing 2 times remove data column activity consecutively (always remove column index 0).

However, I noticed that sometimes (randomly) I get an error with get row item activity (where I read the items from the 3rd column which is now the one and only column). The problem is that sometimes the DT is completely empty. I did hours of troubleshooting and could not accept that it might be caused by the 2nd remove data column activity.

However, I tried a workaround where I put an if statement around the 2nd remove data column activity so that this activity is only performed when the column count is > 1.

I did some test runs already and the issue seems to be solved. But I don’t understand how sometimes more columns are removed than I set up.

Is it a known issue or a bug? I thought that performing 2 times the activity consecutively is ok and that a loop would be overpowered for removing only 2 columns.

Thanks

[mkankatala (Mahesh Kankatala)]

Hi @SenorChang

Using Remove Column activity two times doesn’t make any issue. But can you show how you are using those activities, take a screenshot and share with us.

[SenorChang]

Here you go. My assumption is that the activity runs too fast one after another. I don’t understand this behaviour and it is not logically.

Those 2 activities are identical…always remove the first column so that I don’t have to deal with column names.

[mkankatala (Mahesh Kankatala)]

Yeah might be… @SenorChang

Delete both remove column activity and try the below expression to keep only the third column in the datatable, use an assign activity

- Assign -> dt_Process = dt_Process.defaultview.ToTable(False, dt_Process.Columns(2).Column name)

Above expression will help to remove first two columns and keep only third column in the datatable.

It works very fast and perfect

Hope it helps!!

[postwick (Paul Ostwick)]

Use the Filter Data Table activity and set it to “remove” columns, and you can remove both column index 0 and 1 at the same time.

[Achiranga (Achiranga Gunasekara)]

use ‘filter data table’ activity remove multiple colums in same time