Alteryx Reading Columns from Input but NOT the data that is in the columns

[Cbennesn]

I have two legs of a workflow.

The first leg takes an input, manipulates it and outputs the data ("Altreyx Output"), which has three columns (Month & Year, State, Amount). This data is output to an existing workbook that has other tabs that summarize this data by period. For example, a summary tab and 4 tabs that detail amounts by state and month for each quarter (e.g., Q1, Q2, Q3 & Q4). These sheets are formula-driven and populate with data from my 'Alteryx Output' tab.

The second leg uses the existing workbook I noted above as input. I then take the data by period and use it for other downstream reporting which isn't pertinent to my problem.

The Problem: I was able to output to my file and subsequently use it as an input without issue, as they are in separate containers. However, even though the data is correctly populating to my desired files, when I use it as an input, it does not contain the data (amounts). It pulls in the schema as expected with all of the headers and rows, just no underlying data. It should also be noted that I have been running this for days without issue, all of a sudden this is happening.

I copied the sheets into a new workbook, re-ran and it worked. But it only works for the initial run after deleting or putting in a new file, then it reverts back to not showing the data.

Any thoughts on why this is happening?

[AGilbert]

The most effective way to get help on this message board is to include your workflow as an attachment to give other users the ability to replicate the issues and see the dependencies of a complex problem. 

You can attach a .yxzp (zip package to include the underlying excel files) by using Export Workflow under the Options menu in Designer. If you do this, please take care to mask any proprietary data. Alternatively, you can simply share the .yxmd file as a stand-alone.

The community post below seems similar and suggests a caching issue with Alteryx itself and suggests contacting Support. If you've not searched the community posts yet I'd encourage you to do so. It often times leads to a lightbulb moment.

Solved: Input data issue - Alteryx Community

Regarding the excel format, it seems odd that the data is being written to the 'Alteryx Results' sheet at a random location. This suggests a review of your Leg 1 output. From the limited review of the excel sheet your sumif formulas were set to an infinite column range; so, they should still function regardless of top padding. 

Have you tried temporarily replacing the Interface connected Input Tool (with the lightning icon on top) with a fresh Input Tool directly connected to the correct file? This could help isolate a failure. To do so, you could simply drag a new icon to the canvas and divert the connection. This keeps you from deleting existing tools so you can toggle between sources for testing. 

[Cbennesn]

Ok, I am still pulling my hair out over this one, as I cannot find a solution for it. I have attached a dummy workflow and more images. The first input file here has three columns (month & year, State, and Sum of Tax/Credit Amount). These three columns push an output to an excel file that I previously attached and results are shown on an "Alteryx Results" sheet. Those data points are pulled into other sheets via VLOOKUP. 

Then that file is used as an input, this time using one of the sheets that has the VLOOPUP formulas. The workflow is populated with March data. If you run it, you will see the second input shows nothing for the month, but if you actually open the file, you can see the data is in fact populated. You can change the month in the formula tool to replicate the results.

I've tried this with and without control containers, with and without AMP, on and off a shared drive vs local and nothing seems to change. I am beyond confused as to why the input is not reading the amounts.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

[AGilbert]

I changed a few things and have the March values loading to leg 2. I'll try to be as succinct as possible here and attached the edited workflow for reference. 

1. Excel format change.  Q1 - Credit Summary E8:E22 to the 'accounting' cell format (by clicking the comma button).
   1. It is possible for data types between Excel and Alteryx to be mismatched and, when this happens, you'll get unexpected results from Alteryx. 
   2. I believe this was the main issue.
2. Leg 1 Output tool. I used 'Overwrite Sheet or Range' instead of 'Append to Existing Sheet' because the latter causes an additional set of 58 records to be added to the table.
   1. Please see the config of the output tool in the attached workflow for updates in lines 1, 3 and 5.
   2. Your original file includes prior quarter-end values in the output. The range here should be adjusted to facilitate the output of that data as well (i.e. likely 58 *2).
   3. I believe this was a secondary issue caused by iterative runs of the workflow. In production, when the workflow is only run once. The append output method may be perfectly fine. 
3. Leg 2 is assigning the string datatype to all the columns and your downstream select tool (where the datatype is switched to double) is not converting correctly.
   1. I added a formula tool with the tonumber() formula as an example to convert the string.

As an aside, please take these as suggestions and test for downstream impacts. Especially if this is an already established workflow.