In-DB variable type change

Question

Hello community,

Has anyone ever succesfully changed the variable type using the Formula In-DB for a specific variable?

I've tried a multitude of SQL syntax schemas and non seems to work, can't believe something so simple is so complicated in Alteryx and is taking me so long to achieve, please be a ray of hope and shine light on how to operate the correct syntax to achieve this.

Regards,

MarqueeCrew · Accepted Answer

@Ehatie,

What is simple in Alteryx, is simple because of it's thoughtful design.  The data can be altered from one data type to another because the source data is not altered.  That being said, if you were to create a new variable, then you could create it in any type that suits you.  If your data is going elsewhere, you can create a new variable, such as "ID_Copy" and once you have it in your new format, you could place a select (IN DB) tool onto the canvas and you could "De-Select" the ID field and "Rename" the "ID_Copy" as "ID" (note:  you may need two separate select tools to accomplish this).  Now ID can be alphanumeric coming out of the transformation process.

If you truly want to change the data type of the source data, I would contact your DBA.  There are ALTER commands in SQL that will change the data type of the table columns.  I really don't think that this is what you are trying to accomplish.

Cheers,

Mark