Arranging the tabs in Layout tool

Hi all - I have 6 inputs coming into Union tool and I manually configured each tab I was represent in an excel sheet but while inserting layout tool next to Union tool by configuration gets disturbed. The layout configuration includes Vertical Section breaks and Layout Mode: Each group of records. Can you please help how to arrange the tabs?

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Raj

@nidhishah_ Have you tried a visual layout tool?

jrlindem

Visual Layout is a great option.

You should still be able to accomplish this using traditional Reporting Tools though. Think of Layout like containers (as you have) but also remember that you can arrange horizontal containers inside another vertical container.

When I plan layouts, I think about each row of arrangement first, putting all of those into their own Horizontal Layout (containers), then bring all of those streams into a Vertical Layout (Container).

This is how you can control the organization using the original Layout and Reporting Tools.

-Jay

nidhishah_

Thank you for the comments! The headline issue is using the Vertical Layout tool it is arranging my 6 tabs into alphabetical order. and the visual tool won't help me in this case.

jrlindem

@nidhishah_ I believe that if you specify the "Output Order" in the Union Tool that your respective Tables are going into, ahead of your Vertical Layout, it will accomplish the re-ordering you're looking for.

Or maybe I'm not understanding your question? -Jay

nidhishah_

Hi - I am re-ordering the in Union tool and after the Vertical layout it is arranging in alphabetical order.

jrlindem

Can you isolate that part of your workflow and put in some fake data. Then attach so we can see what your workflow is doing? -Jay

quintinmorrow

Layout quirks like this show up pretty often when building reports in Alteryx. I’ve had situations where the order of tools or containers affected how the tabs finally appeared in the output. Sometimes grouping elements carefully or adjusting the layout configuration solves it. Not always obvious at first, but a bit of experimenting usually gets the tabs behaving properly.

WirkKarl

Hi! It sounds like your issue is related to how the Layout tool interacts with grouped records. One approach I’ve seen work is to carefully set the grouping in the Layout tool first, then connect the Union tool — sometimes reordering the inputs or pre-sorting can prevent the layout from getting disrupted.

It reminds me of how organizations use automation to handle repetitive tasks more efficiently. I recently read about AI call agents and business process automation — while it’s not Alteryx-specific, the idea of structuring processes so that outputs stay consistent is very similar to making layouts behave predictably across multiple inputs.

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