Hi Community members, A solution to last week’s challenge can be found here. This challenge was submitted by Yoshiro Fujimori (@yoshiro_fujimori). Thank you, Yoshiro, for this great challenge! Many data analysts run multiple Alteryx workflows daily. Monitoring when each workflow runs, how long it takes, and whether it encounters any issues is crucial for troubleshooting and audit readiness. Sound familiar? Then this challenge is for you! For this week’s challenge, you are provided with a series of Alteryx log files. Configure the Directory tool provided in the workflow start file to gather these files. Also, note that to read files from a directory, you need to use a Dynamic Input tool. Your task is to analyze these logs, extract key operational metrics, and from these metrics, determine which workflow ran the longest. Task 1: For each log file, extract: * Workflow name * Start time * Duration (in seconds) * Number of warnings * Number of errors * Number of conversion errors Task 2: Across all log files, compute summary statistics: * Total number of jobs (log files) * Total combined run time (in seconds) * Total number of warnings * Total number of errors * Total number of conversion errors Sort by the Seconds field in descending order so you can detect which workflow ran the longest. Hint 1: Logs may vary in structure slightly; pay close attention to how time and errors are logged. Hint 2: When joining the log files and the extracted data files, be aware of field names. You need to create new fields for this. Need a refresher? Review the following lessons in Academy to gear up: Sorting Data Multi-Row Formula Summarizing Data Good luck! The Academy Team Challenge476_start_file.yxmd Alteryx_Logs.zip Challenge476_solution_file.yxmd

Challenge Completed Spoiler Challenge_476_Joe_Serpis.yxmd

Spoiler Challenge_476_solution_file.yxmd

Spoiler Challenge476_solution.yxmd

Challenge #476: Extract Operational Metrics from Your Workflow Logs

AnaMuniz

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Hi Community members,

A solution to last week’s challenge can be found here.

This challenge was submitted by Yoshiro Fujimori (@yoshiro_fujimori). Thank you, Yoshiro, for this great challenge!

Many data analysts run multiple Alteryx workflows daily. Monitoring when each workflow runs, how long it takes, and whether it encounters any issues is crucial for troubleshooting and audit readiness. Sound familiar? Then this challenge is for you!

For this week’s challenge, you are provided with a series of Alteryx log files. Configure the Directory tool provided in the workflow start file to gather these files. Also, note that to read files from a directory, you need to use a Dynamic Input tool.

Your task is to analyze these logs, extract key operational metrics, and from these metrics, determine which workflow ran the longest.

Task 1: For each log file, extract:

Workflow name
Start time
Duration (in seconds)
Number of warnings
Number of errors
Number of conversion errors

Task 2: Across all log files, compute summary statistics:

Total number of jobs (log files)
Total combined run time (in seconds)
Total number of warnings
Total number of errors
Total number of conversion errors

Sort by the Seconds field in descending order so you can detect which workflow ran the longest.

Hint 1: Logs may vary in structure slightly; pay close attention to how time and errors are logged.

Hint 2: When joining the log files and the extracted data files, be aware of field names. You need to create new fields for this.

Need a refresher? Review the following lessons in Academy to gear up:

Sorting Data

Multi-Row Formula

Summarizing Data

Good luck!

The Academy Team

Challenge476_start_file.yxmd

Alteryx_Logs.zip

Challenge476_solution_file.yxmd

Advanced

Intermediate

Data Preparation

Accepted answers

All comments

Kenda

Spoiler

It looks like the log files and workflow names may be a bit mixed up in the given answer, but I think what I put together is good based on the input given

Challenge476_kenda.yxzp

Pilsner

Tough challenge this week. Here's my solution:

Spoiler

Macro:

476 (Log Files).yxzp

martinson

Very tough one

Challenge476_start_file.yxmd

Towers

definitely a harder one for me but really fun to solve!

challenge_476_towers.yxzp

alexnajm

Done! Not sure the solution is correct in terms of lining up the correct file name to the data, but the data for the correct log file matches

Spoiler

Challenge476_start_file_Alex Abi-Najm.yxzp

alineruizcampos

Spoiler

Challenge476_Aline.yxmd

olga_strubbe

Thank you, Yoshiro @yoshiro_fujimori.

I struggle with RegEx in the Formula tool, but instead of writing multiple RegEx for operation metrics I leveraged @Kenda expert knowledge to be able to write them all in one Formula tool and learned a bunch.

Thank you, @Kenda

Spoiler

Challenge 476_Extract operational metrics from your workflow logs.yxmd

3I_ATLAS

Nothing a few REGEX can't fix...😎

Can also use the hack of wildchars in the input tool to read all log files without the need for the directory tool which in this case is convenient because it enables you to bring the filename along with their lines of text. I usually pick the flat files data type but CSV with \n separators also works.

The more nagging part is parsing and then adding up mili-seconds and seconds but not too bad.

Spoiler

challenge_476_solution.yxzp

balajilolla2

Spoiler

Solution Attached

Screenshot 2025-05-13 120251.png

Challenge476_start_file.yxmd

barrymoe

Good challenge!

Read workflow Log Files Challenge.yxmd

Yogesh1795

Regex Challenges are the best one, However I used basic tools and logic to solve this

Challenge476_Solution.yxmd

Qiu

I also can not match the answer provided with part 1.

Spoiler

Challenge476_start_file-Qiu.yxzp

RWvanLeeuwen

here's my take

Spoiler

$I really dislike that my formula is dysfunctional --> Regex_Replace([Field_1], "Finished in ([\d\.:]+), '$1') fails to deliver the timestamp details and it follows through by basically giving me the full string$ I really dislike that my formula is dysfunctional --> Regex_Replace([Field_1], "Finished in ([\d\.:]+), '$1') fails to deliver the timestamp details and it follows through by basically giving me the full string

Challenge476_start_file - RWvL.yxmd

RWvanLeeuwen

Never mind: I just need to reboot Alteryx and then this stuff works again
Regex_Replace([Field_1], "Finished in ([\d\.:]+)(.*)", '$1')

IT Crowd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn2FB1P_Mn8

RolandSchubert

Spoiler

challenge476_solution_rsc.yxzp

JBevan89

I am working through trying to produce my solution. But I have encountered an issue, which I am not sure any of the answers have solved yet (apologies if they have). The duration for part 1 in the answer is Time format, and includes milliseconds. I have been trying to convert the string output into Time format, but I am unable to perhaps because of the milliseconds. I have version 2024.1, and also I can not seem to find where to set the workflow to allow milliseconds. Otherwise with the use of AI, it will not accept different formulas like DateTimeParse, etc. So appreciate if anyone knows how to accept milliesconds with the Time data type?

JBevan89

Finally found a Solution. I needed to use "%H:%M:%S.%3" instead of %H:%M:%S.%f

Tofel

Spoiler

Challenge476_Dom.yxzp

abacon

Here is my take. I am not great with Regex so I went a different route.

Spoiler

Challenge476_final.yxmd

ahsanaali

Spoiler

Batch Macro

Challenge476_Solution_AAA.yxzp

wbasuki

My Solution

Spoiler

Challenge476_start_file_WB.yxmd

Yoshiro_Fujimori

My solution.

Matched with the expected data except for the file name.

Spoiler

Workflow
I assumed that Error, Warning, FieldConversionError appears separately one for each row.
I admit that this solution is vulnerable to the change of log format,
but we cannot foresee how the format will change in the future version anyway.

Formula Tools
[WorkflowName] = GetWord([Field_1], 2)
[StartTime] =
DateTimeParse(
REGEX_Replace([Field_1],".*([a-zA-Z]{3}\s+\d{1,2}\s\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\s\d{4})", "$1"),
"%b %d %H:%M:%S %Y")
[Duration] = GetWord([Field_1], 2)
[Warning] = Substring([Field_1],25,Length([Field_1]))
[Error] = Substring([Field_1],23,Length([Field_1]))
[ConversionError] = Substring([Field_1],38,Length([Field_1]))
[Seconds] =
ToNumber(Left([Duration], 2)) * 60 * 60 +
ToNumber(Substring([Duration],3,2)) * 60 +
ToNumber(Substring([Duration],6,2)) +
ToNumber(Right([Duration], 3)) / 1000

Challenge476_YFujimori.yxmd

wbasuki

My Simplified Function

Spoiler

Challenge476_start_file_WB1.yxmd

Will_Condon

Great opportunity to investigate various tools, work on RegEx code, data modeling, and some advanced tools preparing for renewing Core Certification. A Challenge where no two solutions will be alike, certainly none like mine. The FileName and WorkFlow values do not match the Task 1 solution so something is up with that.