Broken? Output Tool

Just moved to Version: 2022.1.1.30961 (Previously on 2021)

Workflow originally built in v.2021, rolled over into 2022 then started encountering issues.

1) Is it just me, or is the Output Tool dynamic file name functionality broken? The only feature I am able to manipulate into working is the "Change Entire File Path" configuration. This requires that append a column with my file name and tab name to the data and rely on the output tool to remove it upon saving.

1.a) the key thing being here that a tab name is required to be input, and that seems to be the underlying cause of the issue when using other configurations like change or append file name from field.

2) Is it just me, or is anyone else's designer and/or gallery stepping on itself when trying to save multiple tabs to a single excel workbook? Block until Done is not resolving it, parallel block until done is not resolving it, and time delay macro's sort of work but I have seen them fail.

I am unable to post the underlying data and workflow due to it containing sensitive information. I continue to test for a reliable solution.

Gallery

Output

Accepted answers

ChrisTX

@PeteLacz for write-contention issues, see if this helps...

This is the process that I use to write out to multiple Excel sheets, in order, while avoiding write-contention errors:

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Discussions/Clear-the-output-file-before-running-a-macro-and-setting-up-an/m-p/1040648#M257628

Please consider adding a like to this related Idea:

Enhance options for Excel output - Alteryx Community

Chris

All comments

ChrisTX

For one of your workflows that has problems, is the AMP engine on under Workflow Configuration > Runtime > Use AMP Engine?

Chris

PeteLacz

Thanks for the inquiry. I have AMP turned off at the moment because the Gallery admin has it disabled for now.

PanPP

Hi @PeteLacz,

Can you create a sample WF with fake data I can troubleshoot?

PeteLacz

I can try. I have been unable to replicate it with text input. Replicating it with simple excel files also failed. I might actually need to create several tables of varying sizes with short and long data sets to get closer to what my workflow is actually producing.

PeteLacz

I've had no success replicating the issue with random data. Still experimenting. I continue to experience this on other workflows I originally built in 2021.1 though.

PanPP

Hi @PeteLacz

I would recommend turning on AMP Engine to see if this issue resolves itself.

I would recommend reaching out to support@alteryx.com and confirm if this is a bug or not.

Would you be able to just upload the workflow without any data so I can take a look at the workflow itself?

PeteLacz

Here is an example of an Error, I've had to redact name and file paths.

PanPP

I would recommend to re-configure the block until done tools starting with a brand new workflow.

The order you drag the tools onto the canvas will matter when processing the records and output files. (if you hit ctrl f you will be able to see a ID next to each tool).

Steps to follow:

1) Configure most of the workflow in a newly created workflow

2) Drag down block until done tools

3) Configure the output tools

This should take care of the order of tools in the canvas.

Hope this helps.

PeteLacz

Thank you Pan. The issue I have with creating a brand new workflow is that I cannot then use it to replace the file in the gallery which has all the version control and runtime audit trail documentation tagged to it (Let me know if I am doing something wrong here). The gallery for whatever reason won't let you take a new workflow and save over one in the gallery as a new version. It will just create a new workflow in the collection with the same name. Then I would start having duplicates of workflows sitting in our Collection. This continues to be an unacceptable issue for me. I have contacted support, they've pitched some solutions. Like I said, the best solution was our own which is a time delay iterative macro. But even that is not guaranteed because your guessing on the time needed for the background process to finish. A jerry rigged solution for this should not be necessary. But I continue to try new things.

ChrisTX

@PeteLacz for write-contention issues, see if this helps...

This is the process that I use to write out to multiple Excel sheets, in order, while avoiding write-contention errors:

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Discussions/Clear-the-output-file-before-running-a-macro-and-setting-up-an/m-p/1040648#M257628

Please consider adding a like to this related Idea:

Enhance options for Excel output - Alteryx Community

Chris

PeteLacz

Thank you Chris. I will definitely check this out and let you know. Cheers!

PeteLacz

@ChrisTX
Alright Chris, this... so far... has been the best stop gap solution. When running the workflow off of the designer, I have no issues. But when I run it in the Gallery, I continue to get the same error "Being used by another process".

Now, I did add in a time delay macro between each of your macros - but perhaps you could point me to a better one... I noticed that some of the time delay macros prematurely activated. Judging from what I know about Alteryx's goal of being efficient and prioritizing any tasks that may be able to run EVEN IF they are not next in the sequence, I'm guessing Alteryx is choosing to run these before they are ready to be run. So a 5 second delay is negated to 0 by the time the flow reaches that point.

That said, Kudo's to you for making this macro. I tried to make something similar but would not have thought to take this route.

Cheers!

ChrisTX

@PeteLacz I didn't create the macro, I just refined it.

If you structure the macro and the Parallel Block Until Done tools correctly (as shown in the post linked above), you shouldn't need to add a time delay macro. The Parallel Block Until Done tools take care of the sequential ordering.

Are you using the CReW macros for Parallel Block Until Done?

Chris

PeteLacz

@ChrisTX Even using the crew macro it doesn't work on the Gallery. The Gallery hates me. 😅

ChrisTX

I'm not using the server yet, so I can't help much with the Gallery.

Consider creating a new post with a question about running CReW macros from a workflow running on the server, and post any errors you're getting.

We store our CReW macros in a shared network folder, so I'm hoping our workflows will work the same from the server, as long as the server Run As user has security permission to the macro folder.

Chris

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