Get Email Even if No Records

I'd like to get an email after a join that gives me the record count of un-joined records, but if there aren't any un-joined records, I keep getting an error...

Error: Email (7): ComposerEmailInterface: Record#1 From Field is Empty

I've tried various methods to resolve this, like combining the matched and unmatched in a text formula like "X matched and Y unmatched records" but I can't seem to solve the problem. It's driving me a little crazy.

So I guess my question is, how can I get a field with no records to show up as zero?

The really weird part is that I have a browse at the same place in the chain as the email tool, and it's got no problems at all...

Report:
41 Matched Inv Prod Lines and Unmatched Inv Prod Lines
16 matched Book lines and unmatched Book lines and matched Boo

UnmatchedEmail.yxzp

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Accepted answers

TaraM

The Count Records tool: http://help.alteryx.com/current/index.htm#Macro-CountRecords.htm

This Macro returns a count of how many records are going through the tool.

This tool will come in handy when the user wishes to report on the resulting record count of a process. It will even return a count of zero which is a scenario that a Summarize tool will not handle.

All comments

TaraM

The Count Records tool: http://help.alteryx.com/current/index.htm#Macro-CountRecords.htm

This Macro returns a count of how many records are going through the tool.

This tool will come in handy when the user wishes to report on the resulting record count of a process. It will even return a count of zero which is a scenario that a Summarize tool will not handle.

cbridges

Perfect, thank you!

As a side note for others... also discovered another part of my problem. I had not designated the "From" address for the email!

SeanAdams

Hey @cbridges

I actually ran across this issue the exact opposite way - I was getting emails back even though I didn't want any.

When I plodded through this, it turned out that the reporting tool is kinda funny:

- if all you have in the e-mail is a table, then if there's no results in the table, then there's no rows in the data stream going to the e-mail ('cause the table acts as one row with a big object in it)

- if you add in a header, a footer, and a top-line with a record count - then suddenly you have 3 or 4 rows in your data stream, so even if you have no row in the table, the eMail component still has a non-zero record set to work with.

So for me this was a problem to fix rather than a feature :-) but for you this is exactly what you need.

Try this:

- Add a header

- Add a footer

- add report text saying something like "report run on dd/mm/yyyy - records returned 0"

Then you should have the ability to send zero-row record sets

Attached a mock-up for you to play with - just mess around with the filter on the front-end to either get zero or non-zero rows - but you should get an e-mail irrespective.

SendThis.yxmd

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