Merge Rows in Excel in Power Automate

PDF4me Merge Rows in Excel action enables intelligent consolidation of duplicate rows in Excel documents by grouping based on key columns in Power Automate with automatic value merging. This powerful data consolidation feature identifies duplicate rows using specified key columns (or all columns), combines values from non-key columns using semicolon-separated format, removes duplicate values within merged cells, and supports multiple output formats (XLSX, XLS, XLSB, CSV), perfect for customer order consolidation, data deduplication, category aggregation, and multi-row record combination across Microsoft 365 workflows.

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Key Features

• Intelligent Row Grouping: Group duplicate rows based on specified key columns
• Value Consolidation: Merge values from non-key columns with semicolon separator
• Duplicate Detection: Automatically identify and consolidate duplicate records
• Multiple Worksheet Support: Process multiple worksheets in single operation
• Flexible Key Selection: Use specific columns as keys or all columns for exact duplicates
• Multiple Output Formats: Save as XLSX, XLS, XLSB, or CSV

Parameters

Complete list of parameters for the Merge Rows in Excel action. Configure these parameters to control row merging.

Important: Parameters marked with an asterisk (***) are required. Both worksheet and column numbers use 1-based indexing (1 = first worksheet, 1 = column A).

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
File Content***	Base64	Source Excel File Content • Map Excel file from previous action output • Supports Excel files from SharePoint, OneDrive, email attachments • Can be dynamically retrieved from flow variables • Must be valid Excel document (.xlsx, .xls formats)	[File Content from Get File]
File Name***	String	Excel Document Name • Specify Excel file name with extension (.xlsx, .xls) • Used for processing and output file naming • Must include proper file extension • Supports dynamic naming from flow variables	data.xlsx
Worksheet Numbers***	String	Comma-Separated Worksheet Numbers (1-based) • List of worksheet numbers to process • Format: "1,2,3" (1 = first worksheet) • Required - at least one worksheet • 1-based indexing	1,3,5
Merge Key Columns	String	Comma-Separated Key Column Numbers (1-based) • Columns to use as merge keys (1 = column A, 2 = column B, etc.) • Key columns: Identify duplicate rows - values from first occurrence kept • Value columns (non-key): Get merged with "; " separator - duplicate values removed • Empty = all columns: Removes exact duplicate rows only (no value merging) • Merge Logic: Collects non-empty values from duplicates → Removes duplicate values → Joins with "; " • 1-based indexing	1,2
Output Format	String	Output File Format • "XLSX" - Excel 2007+ (.xlsx) - Default, best compatibility • "XLS" - Excel 97-2003 (.xls) - Legacy system compatibility • "XLSB" - Excel Binary Workbook (.xlsb) - Faster performance, smaller file size • "CSV" - Comma-separated values (.csv) - Simple format, data import • Case-insensitive, output filename: "merged_rows" with appropriate extension	XLSX

Output

The PDF4me Merge Rows in Excel action returns comprehensive output data for seamless Power Automate flow integration:

Table

Table View

Response data in a structured table format:

Parameter	Type	Description
document	Base64	Excel document with merged rows
FileName	String	Output filename: "merged_rows.xlsx" (or .xls, .xlsb, .csv based on format)
Success	Boolean	true if operation successful, false if failed
Error Message	String	Error description (null if successful)
Errors	Array	List of detailed error information (empty array if successful)

JSON

JSON Response Format

The raw JSON response from the action:

{
  "document": "[Base64 Excel Content with Merged Rows]",
  "FileName": "merged_rows.xlsx",
  "Success": true,
  "ErrorMessage": null,
  "Errors": []
}

Error Response Example:

{
  "document": null,
  "FileName": null,
  "Success": false,
  "ErrorMessage": "Invalid worksheet selection",
  "Errors": [
    {
      "Code": "WORKSHEET_ERROR",
      "Message": "Worksheet 10 not found. Available worksheets in workbook (5 total)"
    }
  ]
}

Flow Integration

Power Automate Flow Usage

Use Excel files with merged rows in subsequent actions:

• Data Consolidation: Combine multiple entries for same entities into single rows
• Duplicate Removal: Clean datasets by removing exact duplicate rows
• Customer Aggregation: Merge customer transactions into consolidated records
• Report Simplification: Reduce row count while preserving all data
• Email Distribution: Send deduplicated Excel files to stakeholders
• SharePoint Publishing: Upload consolidated Excel files to document libraries

Common Error Messages

Understanding and troubleshooting errors helps ensure smooth Excel row merging workflows:

Error Message	Cause	Solution
"Request is empty"	Request object is null	Provide valid request object
"Document is empty"	Document object is null	Provide valid Excel document
"Invalid worksheet selection"	Worksheet number out of range or invalid format	Use valid worksheet numbers (1-based) within workbook
"Available worksheets in workbook (X total)"	Informational message when worksheet validation fails	Use worksheet numbers from 1 to X
"Worksheet {number} not found"	Worksheet number exceeds total worksheet count	Use valid worksheet numbers (1 to total count)
"Error processing file: {message}"	Generic processing error during merge operation	Check file integrity, data structure, and parameter values

Workflow Examples

The PDF4me Merge Rows in Excel action in Power Automate provides comprehensive workflow templates designed for real-world business scenarios:

Customer Consolidation

Automated Customer Order Consolidation Workflow

Transform your customer reporting with automated order consolidation by customer:

Complete Workflow Steps:

1. Trigger: Daily order export completed at 11 PM
2. Get Order Export: Retrieve daily orders Excel from SharePoint
3. Merge by Customer: Set MergeKeyColumns = "1" (CustomerID column)
4. Target Worksheet: WorksheetNumbers = "1" (Orders sheet)
5. Set Output: OutputFormat = "XLSX"
6. Process Merge: Consolidate all orders per customer
7. Result: One row per customer with all OrderIDs, Products, Amounts merged
8. Email Sales: Send consolidated customer view to sales team
9. Archive: Store in daily consolidated reports folder

Business Benefits:

• Consolidates 200+ daily orders into customer-level summary
• Provides single-row view of all customer purchases
• Simplifies sales analysis with deduplicated customer data
• Reduces report complexity by 70% while preserving all information

Create Flow

Duplicate Removal

Automated Exact Duplicate Row Removal Workflow

Streamline your data cleanup with automated duplicate row removal:

Complete Workflow Steps:

1. Trigger: Data import Excel uploaded to "Cleanup" SharePoint folder
2. Get Import File: Retrieve Excel file with potential duplicates
3. Remove Duplicates: Set MergeKeyColumns = "" (empty - all columns as keys)
4. Process All Sheets: WorksheetNumbers = "1,2,3"
5. Set Output: OutputFormat = "XLSX"
6. Merge Process: Removes rows that are 100% identical
7. Verify Row Count: Compare before/after row counts
8. Upload Cleaned: Save deduplicated file to "Cleaned Data" folder
9. Send Summary: Email data owner with removal statistics

Business Benefits:

• Removes 50+ exact duplicate rows weekly from imports
• Improves data quality by eliminating redundant records
• Reduces Excel file size by removing duplicate data
• Automates data cleanup saving 5 hours weekly

Create Flow

Category Aggregation

Automated Product Category Aggregation Workflow

Optimize your inventory reporting with automated category-level consolidation:

Complete Workflow Steps:

1. Trigger: Weekly inventory report generation on Sunday at 11 PM
2. Get Inventory Report: Retrieve detailed inventory Excel from system
3. Merge by Category: Set MergeKeyColumns = "1,2" (Category, Subcategory)
4. Target Inventory Sheet: WorksheetNumbers = "1"
5. Value Merging: ProductIDs, SKUs, Quantities get merged per category
6. Set Output: OutputFormat = "XLSX"
7. Result: One row per category/subcategory with all products listed
8. Email Purchasing: Send aggregated view to purchasing team
9. Archive Report: Store in weekly inventory summaries library

Business Benefits:

• Aggregates 500+ product rows into 50 category summaries
• Provides high-level inventory view by category
• Maintains detailed product information in merged cells
• Simplifies purchasing decisions with category-level data

Create Flow

Multi-Entry Consolidation

Automated Employee Timesheet Consolidation Workflow

Enhance your payroll processing with automated timesheet entry consolidation:

Complete Workflow Steps:

1. Trigger: Bi-weekly payroll period ends on Friday at 5 PM
2. Get Timesheet Entries: Retrieve Excel with multiple entries per employee
3. Merge by Employee: Set MergeKeyColumns = "1,2" (EmployeeID, PayPeriod)
4. Target Timesheets: WorksheetNumbers = "1"
5. Consolidate Entries: Project codes and hours merged per employee
6. Set Output: OutputFormat = "XLSX"
7. Result: One row per employee with all projects and total hours
8. Validate Totals: Verify merged hour calculations
9. Email Payroll: Send consolidated timesheet to payroll team
10. Archive: Store in payroll processing folder

Business Benefits:

• Consolidates 300+ timesheet entries into employee summaries
• Provides single-row view per employee for payroll processing
• Preserves all project codes and hours in merged format
• Reduces payroll processing time by 60%

Create Flow

Industry Use Cases & Applications

Sales & E-Commerce

Sales & E-Commerce Use Cases

• Customer Order Consolidation: Merge multiple orders per customer into single rows
• Product Sales Aggregation: Consolidate sales by product across multiple transactions
• Territory Rollup: Merge sales data by territory or region
• Duplicate Lead Removal: Remove exact duplicate leads from marketing lists

Finance & Accounting

Finance & Accounting Use Cases

• Transaction Consolidation: Merge transactions by account or vendor
• GL Entry Aggregation: Consolidate general ledger entries by account code
• Expense Rollup: Merge expense entries by employee or department
• Duplicate Invoice Removal: Remove exact duplicate invoice entries

Human Resources

Human Resources Use Cases

• Timesheet Consolidation: Merge timesheet entries by employee and pay period
• Training Records Aggregation: Consolidate training completions by employee
• Benefits Enrollment: Merge enrollment selections by employee ID
• Duplicate Employee Cleanup: Remove duplicate employee records

Operations & Supply Chain

Operations & Supply Chain Use Cases

• Inventory Consolidation: Merge inventory records by location and product
• Supplier Order Aggregation: Consolidate purchase orders by supplier
• Shipment Tracking: Merge shipment entries by tracking number
• Quality Control Rollup: Aggregate QC results by batch or lot number

Customer Service & Support

Customer Service & Support Use Cases

• Ticket Consolidation: Merge support tickets by customer and issue category
• Feedback Aggregation: Consolidate customer feedback by product
• Contact Deduplication: Remove duplicate contact entries
• Interaction History: Merge customer interactions by customer ID

Healthcare & Medical

Healthcare & Medical Use Cases

• Patient Visit Consolidation: Merge patient visits by patient ID and date
• Lab Result Aggregation: Consolidate lab results by patient and test type
• Appointment Rollup: Merge appointments by patient and provider
• Prescription History: Consolidate prescriptions by patient ID

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