Parse assets

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Parsing with regular expressions

You can use a regular expression to find values that match a given character structure in an input field. Create a regular expression that matches the structure of the values that you want to find. Or, select a regular expression from the list of built-in expressions in the asset.

Use a regular expression in place of a dictionary when you cannot predict the content of every value or when the range of values that you will search for is too great to add to a dictionary.

At run time, the Parse transformation applies the regular expression logic to the values in the input field. When the transformation finds a value with a structure that matches the expression logic, the transformation writes the value to the output field that the step specifies.

Example: United States telephone numbers and Social Security numbers

A customer data set might include a column for telephone numbers. Over a period of time, many users incorrectly enter Social Security numbers into the column. You can configure a parse asset to find values that match both formats.

The following table displays the types of errors that can appear in the column:

Value	Format
212-555-1234	Telephone number
910-22-5555	Social Security number
(518)555-8466	Telephone number
(718) 555-2907	Telephone number
2125550987	Telephone number
922-823-5746	Social Security number
974-43-0202	Social Security number
212-555-3287	Telephone number