How do I extract and update brand names from full company names in Google Sheets using n8n?

Below is one approach using n8n’s built‑in Google Sheets and Code nodes. The idea is to:

1. Pull the rows from your Google Sheet.
2. Process each row using a Code node (or AI Transform if preferred) to strip off legal extensions or extra text.
3. Either update the original sheet (or add a new column) with the cleaned “brand” names, or write the results to a new sheet/document.

Below is an example workflow outline and a sample Code node snippet:

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Example Workflow Outline

1. Google Sheets – Get Rows
   • Use the Google Sheets node (select the “Get Many” operation) to retrieve your leads list that includes the “company_name” column.

2. Code Node – Process Company Names
   • Add a Code node (JavaScript) that processes each row. In the node, you can write custom logic to remove common legal suffixes (e.g. “Inc.”, “LLC”, “Ltd.”) or split on known delimiters (like “|”) to keep only the brand portion.
   • The node should output an additional field such as “brand_name”.

   Here’s an example snippet:

   JAVASCRIPTCopied
   // This code assumes each input item has a property "company_name" in its JSON data.
   // Adjust the regex or split logic as needed to fit your naming conventions.
   const output = [];
   
   for (const item of items) {
     let name = item.json.company_name;
   
     // If a delimiter is used (like "|") then split on it and use the first part.
     if (name.includes("|")) {
       name = name.split("|")[0].trim();
     }
   
     // Remove common legal suffixes. Adjust the pattern to your needs.
     name = name.replace(/\b(Inc\.?|LLC|Ltd\.?|Limited|Corporation|Corp\.?)\b/gi, "").trim();
   
     // Optionally, if you want only the first word (brand), you could:
     // name = name.split(" ")[0];
   
     output.push({
       json: {
         ...item.json,
         brand_name: name
       }
     });
   }
   
   return output;

3. Google Sheets – Update or Append Rows
   • If you want to update the same spreadsheet, add a Google Sheets node (e.g. “Update Row” or “Append or Update Row”) that writes the new “brand_name” back to a new column on the same sheet.
   • Alternatively, to create a new document/sheet, use a Google Sheets node with the “Create” or “Append Row” operation and map the “brand_name” field as needed.

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Tips & Considerations

• Testing the Transformation:
  Run the Code node with a few sample rows to verify your regular expressions and splitting logic capture the desired “brand name.” Customize the logic if needed.

• Updating vs. Creating a New Sheet:
  If you update the original sheet, ensure you map the row identifier correctly (e.g. row index or a unique key) when using the update operation. Otherwise, create a new sheet and use the “Append Row” option.

• Using AI Transform:
  If the patterns in your company names are more complex, you can consider the AI Transform node. For example, you could prompt:
  “Convert the company name ‘Example Company | AI Solutions’ into just its brand name (i.e., ‘Example’).”
  This node can sometimes better handle variations but comes with its own configuration considerations.

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This workflow leverages n8n’s native nodes for Google Sheets along with a Code node that allows custom parsing logic. Adjust the regular expressions and string handling according to the naming patterns consistent with your leads list.