Dynamic Rename / Select / Formula Tool Annoyance - Fields not being found

First of all, this is a convenience issue. My workflow is functioning correctly and giving me the correct output. However, there is one minor wrinkle. So I have a workflow which uses Dynamic Rename to take field names from the first row of data. There are about 200 fields in this file, so this is a massive time saver.

When the workflow is not running, one of my downstream Select tools keeps "remembering" the old field names (F1, F2 etc....) instead of the field names from the Dynamic Rename tool, and as such, I keep getting an error on the next Formula tool, as it says it can't find the variable named by the Dynamic Rename.

As I said, once the workflow runs, the error disappears and it runs thru these tools without issue. However, later on, it will "remember" these old field names and forget the Dynamic Renamed fields. I have "Forgotten Missing Fields" in the Select tool several times, but the old fields seem to keep popping up.

Any thoughts? I would share the workflow, but this is a confidential workflow unfortunately. Also, please forgive any lapses in Alteryx Community best practice, this is my first post in this community.

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Accepted answers

afv2688

Hello @jpl5253,

As far as I know, the dynamic rename is one of the few tools which doesnt update the metadata info unless you run the workflow. There is no way around this. You may come up with a solution to it using many different tools together but I think you will need to stick to it.

Sorry to tell you so but thats the only way.

Edit: Btw there is no need to share your actual workflow. You can create a simple text input with a dynamic rename and the same would happen.

Regards

All comments

afv2688

Hello @jpl5253,

Sorry to tell you so but thats the only way.

Edit: Btw there is no need to share your actual workflow. You can create a simple text input with a dynamic rename and the same would happen.

Regards

jpl5253

Thanks for the quick reply. As I said, workflow still runs fine but good to know its an inherent issue with the tool and not with my use of it.

Cheers

MarqueeCrew

@jpl5253 ,

Please don't give up hope! Here's a trick that you can use: If the incoming data is persistent with the field names, you can configure the stream as it is and follow the rename with a select tool. Within the select tool configuration you can save the configuration. Then you could delete the dynamic rename.

Cheers,

Mark

jpl5253

Unfortunately, the data is input from a complex Macro tool and editing the
Macro to accommodate this would be too time consuming for such a
surface-level issue. I appreciate the positivity however!

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