Remove extra zeros

Remove zeros from the beginning, middle, or end of data points using RegEx.

Remove extra zeros

From Zero to Hero

Removing extra zeros (or any character or set of characters) is a powerful data cleaning task used to extract usable information from difficult to process source data. When the data followed specific patterns, as things like automatic logs commonly do, we can use Regular Expressions to create flexible statements which process the data. In Excel, you can use RegexExtract. In Parabola, you can use this recipe pre-loaded with explanations of each Find/Replace rule that was used. We take advantage of patterns at the start of an expression (using the begins with ^ character), patterns at the end of an expression (using the ends with $ character), and using groups (by enclosing statements in parentheses, and referencing them with $1 or $3).