How to change the data type from an Excel source file

Question

Hi,

I facing the following issue. I have an Excel file (.xlsx), in which there are various text fields larger than 255 characters. When I upload the source data using the "Input Data" tool, it seems to convert my data to string. As a result the text gets truncated.

How can I fix this?

Thank you in advance for your help

andrewdatakim · Accepted Answer

Hi @MichaelB,

I did a quick cursory check and I am not able to replicate your problem. I tried the "General" and "Text" formats in Excel and both output to V_String, which adjust based on the input length.  You can confirm Alteryx is working properly by using the images below as directions to check if the input is coming in properly.

Highlight of a Connection String

Text output for XLSX
Confirmation of V_String for XLSX String InputHighlight of a Connection String

If you are seeing the same results as the same above:

I would recommend checking any tools that you have after input. If you have any of them set to "String" it will automatically cut off the excess over 255 character. I would suggest changing them to V_String to give you more length.  Also watch for Crosstab tool those are notorious for cutting fields short (they are default hard coded with a length). Most other tools will pass through the length unless altered manually. The last area to check is if you are overwriting any fields you must first alter the length with a Select tool before you extend the data length, otherwise it removes the excess.

If the input is still not coming in properly:

What format (in Excel) is the text string you are trying to import?  (Then we can run some more tests)