Stack Step
The Stack step vertically combines different information from two or more sources into a single table. Use it when you need to join records from different sources that share the same column structure.
Stack is located in the Combine category of the toolbar.
Configure Stack
To configure Stack, connect two or more sources to the input port and choose a column ordering method. When you connect at least two sources, you will see the columns organized by rows, with the nomenclature of the connected step.
The first connection made to the input port is the name and data type reference for stacking all columns.
The Stacking Suggestion field offers two methods:
By Column Name: identifies and stacks columns with the same name.
By Column Position: identifies and stacks columns in the same position.
For each connected step, Stack presents:
Steps: name of the step connected to Stack.
Columns: all columns loaded from the input steps. You can change the stacked column using the selector next to the name.
Column Status: indicates the column's status, which can be Valid or Invalid. The Invalid status occurs when the column's data type does not match the type defined in the reference header. Through the three dots above the column reference, you can change the name and data type of that reference. This change does not alter the column names of the connected steps, only the name of the single column generated at the output port. When changing the data type, steps whose column has a type different from the selected one will have an Invalid status.
Close: closes the screen without saving the settings and returns to the Designer.
Save: saves the settings.
Tip: the first connection to the input port automatically becomes the name and data type of the reference. To keep a specific step's header, connect it first to Stack.
Example: stack by column name
Consider two sources with columns Business, Date, Account, Value, and Description. In the second source, the column names are the same as the first, but the order is different.
Since the names match, the recommended method is By column name. The result is a single table with all records from both sources, aligned by each column's name regardless of the original position.
Example: stack by column position
Now consider two sources where the column order is the same, but the names are different (for example, the second source uses Nomenclature, Transaction Date, Account Code, Value (R$), and Identification).
Since the position matches and the names do not, the recommended method is By column position. The result is a single table with all records from both sources, aligned by each column's position, using the names from the first source as a reference.
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