Hi Everyone,
I create a file with the output tool in .xlsx format that is sftp to an outside vendor daily from the server. The vendor claims the file is corrupt but when I open the file from the file share it looks fine. However when I open it in notepad it looks like jibberish.
I'm assuming there is a way to control the encoding in the output but I haven't found a good article or source about it.
Any help would be appreciated.
Solved! Go to Solution.
This would be expected since excel has its own encoding method. Is the vendor located in a different country? There is a possibility of a different system encoding (i.e. ANSI or Latin-1).
When you open the .xlsx file directly in Excel or any other compatible software, it knows how to interpret the binary data and present it as a formatted spreadsheet.
However, when you open the .xlsx file in a text editor like Notepad, you're viewing the raw contents of the file, which is in binary format. Binary files cannot be interpreted as plain text because they contain encoded data, including special characters, formatting instructions, and other binary data.
Hi @Tessa_Gable
Adding my 2 cents to your question:
Some guideline questions to troubleshoot your issue:
Hope this helps,
Arnaldo
Thank you!
I have a separate workflow on Alteryx Server that sends the file using a blob convert tool and a download tool to the location provided by the vendor.
Are both of you using the same version of Excel?
What happens if you attach the file to an email sent to them? can they read the attachement; this is clear the transfer media as the corruption culprit.
When using FTP and SFTP it is important to use binary mode? Are you using it? it seems the XL file is corrupted upon arrival to their destination.
Sorry for so many questions, I am following standard troubleshooting, so we will pinpoint the issue.
Regards,
Arnaldo.