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If you work in sales, marketing, or client services, you live in spreadsheets. CRMs export full names in one cell, addresses glued together, product SKUs crammed into a single string. Doing the opposite of concatenate in Excel or Google Sheets is how you turn that mess into segments, filters, and insights you can actually sell with.Reverse concatenation lets you split names for personalized outreach, separate cities for territory planning, and peel product codes into attributes. Done once, it feels trivial. Done across 50 CSVs every week, it quietly drains hours.This is where an AI agent shines. Instead of you clicking Text to Columns or building TEXTSPLIT formulas over and over, an AI computer agent can open Excel or Google Sheets, apply the right split logic, validate the results, and save clean data into the exact files or folders your team uses. You keep the strategic decisions; the agent handles the drudge work.
Every agency owner and revenue lead eventually meets the same villain: the monster CSV.Names, emails, companies, and tracking codes all smashed into a single cell. Someone mutters we just need to reverse CONCATENATE, and suddenly you are the spreadsheet hero, stuck cleaning data long after everyone else has logged off.The good news: both Excel and Google Sheets are excellent at splitting text. The better news: an AI computer agent can learn your favorite methods and run them for you, at scale.## 1. Manual Methods in Excel### A. Text to ColumnsText to Columns is the classic opposite of CONCATENATE in Excel.Step 1: Select the column that holds combined text, such as Full Name or Address.Step 2: Go to the Data tab and choose Text to Columns.Step 3: Pick Delimited if values are separated by commas, spaces, or tabs, or Fixed width if they line up in strict positions.Step 4: Choose your delimiter, for example Comma or Space.Step 5: Set the destination range so Excel does not overwrite your source, then finish.Pros: Visual, fast, no formulas. Works on almost any Excel version.Cons: One-off. Every new file requires the same clicks again.### B. TEXTSPLIT FormulaIf you have Excel 365 or later, TEXTSPLIT is your best friend.Example: A1 holds Jane Smith.Use:=TEXTSPLIT(A1, " ")This splits on the space and spills first and last name into separate cells.Pros: Dynamic, easy to drag down, flexible for different delimiters.Cons: Requires newer Excel, and formulas can get messy when patterns vary.## 2. Manual Methods in Google Sheets### A. SPLIT FunctionIn Google Sheets, SPLIT is the spiritual cousin of TEXTSPLIT.If A2 contains John-Doe-Developer, you can use:=SPLIT(A2, "-")Sheets instantly breaks the text into three columns: John, Doe, Developer.Pros: Simple, works in any modern Google Sheets file, easy to combine with ARRAYFORMULA.Cons: You still need to set it up for every file and adjust for new patterns.### B. Split Text to Columns ToolStep 1: Select the column of combined data.Step 2: Go to Data, then Split text to columns.Step 3: Choose a separator such as Space, Comma, or Custom.Pros: Friendly UI, no formulas. Great for non technical teammates.Cons: Manual, and dangerous if someone accidentally overwrites adjacent data.## 3. When Manual Splits Stop ScalingFor a single client export, these tools are enough. But agencies and growth teams rarely deal with a single export. You might:- Pull lists from multiple CRMs and ad platforms.- Clean incoming leads daily for SDRs.- Normalize product feeds for marketplaces.You find yourself clicking through Text to Columns in Excel on Monday, then repeating it in Google Sheets on Tuesday, praying you did not mis click a delimiter. The real cost is not just time; it is inconsistency and hidden errors.## 4. Automating With an AI AgentThis is where a Simular AI computer agent changes the story.Simular is built to operate computers like a focused teammate. It can open Excel on your desktop, or Google Sheets in the browser, navigate menus, apply formulas, and push data wherever you need it, thousands of steps at a time.A typical automation might look like this:- Watch a folder for fresh CSV exports.- When a file lands, launch Excel or Google Sheets.- Apply Text to Columns or SPLIT or TEXTSPLIT based on your rules.- Validate that each column has the expected pattern, such as emails containing an at sign.- Save the cleaned version to a shared drive or update a master Google Sheet.Because Simular combines language understanding with symbolic control, you can describe the transformation in natural language, yet still get precise, repeatable execution.### Pros of Using an AI Agent- Massive time savings when you have many files or daily feeds.- Production grade reliability for workflows that may span thousands of actions.- Transparent logs so you can see every split and change for audit and debugging.### Cons and Tradeoffs- You invest time up front to define examples and guardrails.- For unusual edge cases, you may still want a human spot check.## 5. Blending Human Insight With Agent ExecutionThe sweet spot is not choosing between you and the agent. You design the logic the agent will follow: which columns to split, what delimiters to use, and how to handle exceptions. Then you let the agent handle the grind.Reverse concatenation stops being a late night chore and becomes a quiet background process that just happens, giving your team more hours to write copy, close deals, or design the next campaign instead of wrestling with columns.