ODBC Input Auto Choosing Data Type

Question

Hello All,

Has anyone experience an issue with Alteryx auto selecting a data type when importing a dataset via an ODBC connection?

For example:

I created a connection from a data source, however, Alteryx auto selected Call ID to a double when importing the data directly into Alteryx. Because of this – we are missing data from the source. We would want this field to be a string instead. I have tried using "Cast" in the SQL statement to change the data type, but that is still populating some of the data as null.

apathetichell · Answer

The smartsheet ODBC is terrible. I would expect that this is a limitation of that product and look at using the API instead.

FYI - on general issues with casting:

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/115518/how-to-prevent-smartsheet-api-from-converting-certain-strings-to-integers

I'd ask on the Smartsheet forum.

adamholsenbeck · Answer

Do you mean export the data from the data source into an excel file and then have the excel file input in the workflow?

adamholsenbeck · Answer

1. The database I am pulling from Is smartsheet.

2.

SELECT [Call ID], CAST([Call ID] AS VARCHAR(255)),

[Created],

[Create Date Trim],

[Row ID],

[Team Member Name],

[EPIC_ID],

[Date Of Call],

[QA Type],

[Evaluation Score],

[QA Analyst],

[Call Notes],

[Manager],

[Supervisor],

[Queue],

[Report Week],

[Report Month],

[Queue Date],

[Name Queue Merge]

FROM "Contact Center QA__4050175611168644s_(Contact Center)"