How would you help on this community and why?

I can see that different people have different approach on how to help on other people posts. And I was wondering if adding a sample WF for the suggested solution is the correct thing to do in order to help the person to find a solution?

I will be interested to know what are your thought about this topic!

Kind regards,
Oren

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cpet13

@OTrieger I feel it mostly depends on the question you are responding to. Some require a simple screenshot to demonstrate a concept or a written formula, others require a whole workflow to get them what they are looking for. If a whole workflow is needed, then I would attach the workflow. If, however, a formula with explanation will work, I would probably just write out the explanation and the formula. I don't want to make the person have to download an entire new workflow and open it in order to see a simple solution, one that could easily be written out and read in a matter of seconds. As in most things, there is no "one size fits all".

alexnajm

I agree with @cpet13 - it really depends on the situation. I am also more likely to help with a workflow if they provide their own workflow and just need that little bit of help to get over the line!

apathetichell

I'm more of a fan of describing the steps taken. Try to get someone to fix it themselves. Sometimes there are situations where it's easier to just fix it/upload it/etc. but for more straight forward things - I would try to describe it.

OTrieger

Thanks. From my point of view sharing WFs with others is not the correct way. There are always exceptions. However we need to consider what is the purpose of giving help, is it to guide them toward the solution or give them the solved problem. As Alteryx provides a very good training materials, I do believe that if someone would like to master Alteryx that person should do these training and understand how the tools works and how to configure them. Therefore I will try to avoid providing WFs but instructions or guideline that the person will still need to get it done and gain some experience from doing it. Copy pasting a solution and then configuration it based on data, I do not see much learning here. So I believe that helping is not providing the solution as a WF, but that is my point of view.

shancmiralles

some members technically just answer and provide the solution without explanation..
i say teach a man how to fish... not give him fish all the time..

i don't agree with " please see attach WF"... lol

because of this mentality, some new users just rely on the community for quick answers..
yes the question answered but it's like doing somebody's assignment for them..

Bren_Spill2

Like others have mentioned, I think it depends on the situation. If someone provides data, I'll generally create a workflow to test my proposed solution. If I build a workflow, I'll attach it.

There's also some value in having example workflows to review. For example, I like to dig through and tinker with multiple solutions attached to weekly challenges to see the different approaches people take (after I have attempted it!) - it's a great way to learn.

I think whether or not someone gets value from a workflow attached to their question ultimately comes down to their appetite for learning.

Qiu

@Bren_Spill2 wrote:
Like others have mentioned, I think it depends on the situation. If someone provides data, I'll generally create a workflow to test my proposed solution. If I build a workflow, I'll attach it.
There's also some value in having example workflows to review. For example, I like to dig through and tinker with multiple solutions attached to weekly challenges to see the different approaches people take (after I have attempted it!) - it's a great way to learn.
I think whether or not someone gets value from a workflow attached to their question ultimately comes down to their appetite for learning.

Agree and to me, it is a process helping myself to improve.
It is not only the Alteryx to me, it starts from understanding the problem presented, understand the data, come up with a solution. it is a whole logical excercise to me.😁

Gawa

I agree with@shancmiralles :Teach how to fish, instead of giving fish.

In my opinion, we should describe more about data process and why that approach is suitable to the question. Also, just showing the link of reference suffice in most of cases!

That is not only for teaching them but also for somebody who will reach to that post in future by Google search. I'm always helped by the past excellent solutions posted in this community everyday when I'm stuck.

I'm not comfortable to see the conversation like somebody ask "Pls help." and others reply "See attached WF. Accept my solution." It's just like Seafood shop..."I need fish", "Here you are. If you like, rate 5 stars."

OTrieger

I think that we need to consider what is the real purpose of helping here. Are we want to give the person the end solution? Are we want to get him learn how to do it himself? What will be the nest way to help him so he can implement the solution by himself in the future? If we give final solution will he really learn from if or not?

The fact that we are building ourselves the solution to see if it works or not is a good practice as you would like to know that you give the correct solution. For the long term I believe if we want to give the best help will be assist the person get the solution developed by himself, with guidance that help him to do it, and not do it for him.

I saw posts that despite of the fact that a WF was shared the person still did not manage to get it work, but this is not surprising as he lacks the knowledge, so the minute that something vary he does not know what to do, as it beyond his knowledge.

Knowledge = understanding. If you help him understand it he will manage to figure it out and then will have the knowledge. And knowledge = power!!!

Bren_Spill2

Well said! I'll definitely be keeping this in mind when offering solutions in the future.

OTrieger

I have main 2 reasons why I would not share WFs:
1. The solution is way beyond the person current knowledge of Alteryx, so he will not manage to get it and will ask more questions about it. He just jumped a too steep a gradient. The person must go back to the last thing that he learned and felt good about and find what he does not fully get. The person thinks that he is confused with that thing that he is asking, however it is not the source for his confusion, as if it was he would solve it by getting the needed knowledge. So obviously he does not know the source for his confusion, and the solution for it, is to go back to the place that he felt that he was doing good and understood everything, and at that place look to what he did not fully understand and get it clear and the minute that he will get that clear he will be able to move forward, so it does not matter if you will share with him a WF, he will not understand it as it is beyond him knowledge, you only going to make him more confused on the topic. While he be happy that you solved his problem, he still will not be able to operate in that area.

2. Honestly some of the questions are so basic, that I'm wondering if the person really bothered to do any of Alteryx Academy training. I think that there should be here some responsibility to get the guys to the needed knowledge not share freebees, get the person learn it, that is the only way to master Alteryx. Obviously with getting help, but not getting the job done by others.
2. I can see here ACEs and other experienced people, you all worked it out and solved your own problems, but you did it, not someone else did it for you. So this is a personal path, and that path will be different from person to person. There is no short cuts, you need to acquire the knowledge. Giving the final product will not get the person to learn it faster, actually it will slow him down, as you normally find out that the thing that he thinks that he is confused with will not be that thing that he is confused with, otherwise he will not be confused, he would find a solution as he knows what confusing him, and that is the reason even if you will give to the person the final WFs he still do not know how you did it as there is a prior thing that he did not manage to solve it.

I do see posts that honestly asking something that is very challenging, however on the other side I see so many basic questions and know that the person did not bother to get some basic knowledge to get it solved.

apathetichell

3. Workflows requiring using an API/Database or Code which is really specific to the poster. Poster has to figure it out for themselves. There seems to be a nebulous where my Alteryx problem starts and ends for some posters.

This is all a bit moot though - the problem on this community really isn't from the answers. Worfklow/solution/description - whatever. The larger problems are 1) The posters who won't try to build something for themselves/learn how to google/realize that the workflow is beyond them. 2) the posters who are consultants - who should not be working with Alteryx. Calling this out specifically - if you are an Alteryx consultant and you can't build a batch macro - get another job. 3) Alteryx. Some of these things are core product problems/documentation problems which Alteryx should step to the plate and solve. We are volunteers invested in building a strong ecosystem but at the end of the day - Alteryx is pretty tiny at my company - and it's up to Alteryx corporate - whether PE owned or not - to invest more in making the product ecosystem healthier.

cpet13

I strongly agree with what has been said about a person having the responsibility to learn the material. I am a big proponent of the idea that every person should do what they can to learn what they need to. Given that, every person has different strengths and weaknesses - some people excel at figuring out how to think through a problem logically and come up with a solution to a complicated problem, while others may not find that as easy but are excellent at developing the right question to ask of the data (which is oftentimes more critical of a skill to have). In the end, I enjoy responding to questions on the community board not so much for the person asking the question, but for the opportunity it gives me to learn new things. I have often found a question someone had asked, tried to find an answer/solution to the question, and learned something about Alteryx (either a way a tool(s) could be used that I had not considered, a feature I didn't realize was there, etc.). This is a part of how I have taken it on myself to learn the material.

OTrieger

@cpet13

I totally agree with you, I learn from people questions, each time something new. Each one has his way how to approach a problem, and by reading other people comments and the questions giving me new point of view on the same problem that I might did not thought about. I totally agree with you.

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