This advanced function in Google Data Studio, REGEXP_REPLACE, holds the powerful capability to find and replace particular text in a data field using regular expression. This function works wonderfully while handling data transformation, data cleanup, and when you wish to alter the description or name of certain data points.
The syntax for this specific function is as follows:
REGEXP_REPLACE(X, regular_expression, replacement)This function would ultimately return a text value.
The working mechanism of the REGEXP_REPLACE function is as follows:
This function goes on to return a text value where all the sub-expressions of X that match the regular_expression are replaced with the 'replacement'. Special characters or digits can be brought into use within the 'replacement' argument to insert corresponding text matching with the parenthesized group in the regular_expression pattern.
It's also worth noting that the function only replaces non-overlapping matches.
Let's consider a sales metric example to understand the usage of this function.
If we consider a dataset that holds the record of a company that sells shirts in different seasons. The dataset could have fields such as 'Winter:Shirt_Sales', 'Summer:Shirt_Sales'. Here, if we wish to rearrange the series of the text and bring 'shirt sales' before the season, we can use the REGEXP_REPLACE function as follows:
REGEXP_REPLACE(Field_Name, '(\w+):(Shirt_Sales)', '\\2 \\1')This command will orate 'Shirt_Sales' before the season name in the field name.
As powerful as this function is, certain limits may discourage its universal usage:
While using this function, remember:
The REGEXP_REPLACE function, though intricate, can be an extraordinary tool when used correctly. By mastering the regular expression syntax, one can execute large scale replacements and transformations with ease.
