Lesson 2.3.5
Column transforms, and naming columns so exports line up
What this costs
Free.
Before you start
A table you export regularly.
The least glamorous lesson in the Akademy and one of the highest leverage. Every minute spent on column names is repaid on every export, every integration and every workflow reuse afterwards.
Name for the destination, not the tool
| What the column gets called by default | What to call it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Find People Agent output | contact_first_name, contact_last_name, contact_title | Matches the CRM field, so mapping is automatic |
| Official Website Finder | company_domain | Matches your dedup key and your CRM |
| Custom tool 3 | hiring_signal_verdict | Readable in six months by someone who is not you |
| Scoring Agent | icp_score, icp_rationale | Two fields, because you filter on one and read the other |
Transforms handle the rest: splitting a full name into first and last, normalising a country to a code, trimming a domain to its root, standardising a phone number. Do this in the table, once, rather than in a spreadsheet after every export.
Check yourself
0 of 2 answered1.What should a column be named after?
2.Where should a full name be split into first and last?
This lesson is written and complete. Its screen recording is still to come, and the written walkthrough is designed to stand on its own without one.