Input File Opening Source File While Running

[Kurtis]

In one of my workflows, one of my input tools has recently began operating strangely. The input tool reads data in from an .xls file. Whenever I run the workflow, the input tool reads in the first column, and then automatically opens the .xls file its trying to read in. Since the file is now open, Alteryx can't read in the following columns and thus my workflow can't finish properly. I've ran this workflow many times, but it only started acting up recently. I'm totally stumped on what could be causing this, any help would be appreciated, thanks!

EDIT: It seems the file is currently opened by another user on my network, would this cause this issue?

[Matt_Curtis · Accepted solution]

Yeah, I've had a similar issue where I close the Excel file, but then it starts being used by our IT's backup software.  The backup software is just scanning the file and syncing it, but I'll get the same "cannot access file while it's open" error as a result.  I had my IT department create a folder on my Desktop that was a backup-safe zone.  I understood the risk that any files being in that folder were not being backed up, but I didn't need that anyway since that folder just served as a landing spot for processing.  If you're in a shared network space, I'd recommend making a copy of that file into a local directory, then working off your local version.  With some development, you could make a workflow that automatically copies and pastes it locally for you, so that step doesn't necessarily need to be manual.

[Kurtis]

Good to know, thanks for the help!