Dynamic table headers do not change appropriately

[leonhekkert]

I'm trying to make subheaders for another table. These subheaders more or less only display the years the data below (in the other table that is later added with a layout tool) entails.

Its part of an analytic app where users select a 'firstyear' and secondyear' to compare data.

When 'firstyear' = 2023 and 'secondyear' = 2024 I would expect 2023 to appear left from 2024 in the table.

When 'firstyear' = 2024 and 'secondyear' = 2023 I would expect 2023 to appear right from 2024 in the table.

The strange thing is that I do see this behaviour when I click on the input anchor of the table tool, but when I inspect the results of the table tool through the browse tool the results do not change.

I'm testing the behaviour by changing the constants of the dropdown values in the 'workflow' part of the configuration window.

What can I do to solve this?

[OTrieger]

@leonhekkert 
What you see in the Browse Tool it is only a preview however not how it will be actually written out. I would not pay too much attention to it but connect it to a Render tool and then see if the data is written correctly.

[leonhekkert]

@OTrieger  Unfortunately the render shows the same results.

Have you tried the example I attached? Then it might be more clear what I mean.

[OTrieger]

@leonhekkert 
I did not try the example, but I did used Text Input tool. Putting 2023 line 1 and 2024 line 2 and then switched the position of them, while in the Browse tool 2024 always was at the left in the render tool it was fine

[CoG]

The included Analytic App has confused me. The input data has no connection to year (only the index: 00001 vs. 00002). You have a Multi-Field Formula Tool that tries to rename fields (which it cannot do). Cross-Tab has odd behavior for column sorting (intrinsic to the tool, not your doing), and by the end the Dynamic Rename Tool tries to remove any reference to year.

The Table Tool does not reorder columns. While the Browse Tool does not present the exact formatting of your rendered output the schema/structure of the output will be preserved between the two.

Based on your current workflow, it looks like all you would need is a single Dynamic Rename Tool and that's the entire workflow, but practically that makes no sense to me. If you could share more information with screenshots, highlighting how the data is transformed, and where exactly it deviates from your expectation that would be helpful.

[leonhekkert]

@CoG, I can imagine. Sorry if my explanation is not clear.

This is just a part of the original workflow. Since the years can change I substituted them with 000001 for the first year (whatever its value) and 000002 for the second year (whatever its value).
This makes it possible to reference them in summarize tools etc, because the 000001 and 000002 will always be the same and so the reference to the columns wont break.

The example that I sent is somewhat at the end of the flow, where its time to switch the placeholders 0000001 and 000002 again for the actual year numbers.

You wont see any connection from the interface tools as there's a direct reference in the lower input tool. This way its easy to test the workflow as you can change values by changing the constants.

If 2023 is the first year and 2024 is the second then I get this (as expected):

results which feed the table tool:

result of the table tool:

As you can see both tools show the first year (2023) correctly left of the second year (2024).

If I now change the constants with 2024 being first year and 2023 being second:

results which feed the table tool:

results of the table tool:

As you can see the data that feeds the table tool now has the 2024 columns left of the 2023, as I would expect.

The table tool however still outputs with 2023 left of 2024. 

And I have no clue why..

[OTrieger]

It is working fine for me when selecting 2024 as year one.
Not sure what you are doing wrong. If you will change in Workflow FirstYear to 2024 you will get it on the left side.

Maybe you are not updating the FirstYear so it say  with 2023. All working fine for me.

[OTrieger]

@leonhekkert  do that and it will be on the left side

[leonhekkert]

@OTrieger: thats why I indeed use to change the values.

Sometimes it indeed works as intended, especially if I add new values. However, when I switch a couple of times with 2023 and 2024 then it stops working and the order doesnt change anymore.

Might it be some kind of cache thing and would it be possible to solve this?

I cannot know upfront how each user will work with this and the last thing I want is that the data indeed switches dynamically left and right but the subheaders wont..

[OTrieger]

@leonhekkert 
As this is an App you do not need to worry about it, all works well. The guys will enter the data and then it will flow to the correct place. So all good, your WF is working as it intended to, good work!