SharePoint connection in designer.

[prpatel]

Hello all:

I'm currently using Alteryx designer v 2022.1.1.25127.  With this, I am using the latest version of the SharePoint connection tool.  I think its version 2.1.1

When connecting to a SharePoint via the internet browser, I have no issues connecting to the SharePoint server and getting a list of my SharePoint sites, then navigating to the respective site and grab the file that I need.

BUT....there are 3 other ways of connecting to SharePoint, and they are:

1. Provide Clint ID and Secret and Tenant ID
2. Provide Username, Password and URL
3. Connect to URL with Windows Account.

I know that when I sign in using the internet browser, then put this workflow on the server I have had no luck in running it.

So my question to you all out there, is which option gives me the highest probability of success when running a workflow on the server ?

Also...they will be significant Kudos's given if someone can explain to me (in simple English, no IT jargon please) how to setup the server to allow for SharePoint connection.

Thank you.

[Nezrin · Accepted solution]

For every sharePoint site, there is a corresponding folder location. You can get this path by opening the site on IE and click on "open with explorer" you can use this path on the input data tool as a regular folder location

[prpatel · Accepted solution]

@Nezrin ...as of now, IE is no longer supported and Microsoft recommends moving to Edge.  Also, the ability to open SharePoint sites in File Explorer is not available for me, so what I tried (and it worked)....was as follows....

Go to the document folder in your SharePoint site that you wish to connect to, and sync that folder to your OneDrive.

Now in designer, do not select the "SharePoint File Input" tool, but now select "Input Data" tool, and find the file as if the file was on your computer.  You should see your one drive, then the folder you sync'd to should be there. pick that file, then do what you must, and upload to server, and set your schedule.

I did this, then published it to my Alteryx server, then setup a schedule to run one time.  I turned off my computer (after properly saving the schedule and logging out of server and all that stuff).  I waited, and then logged back into my computer, then the VPN, then the server.  What I found was that the schedule executed with no errors.

I check my output, which was a Tableau dataset on my Tableau server, and everything looked refreshed.

I think this will work.

Thank you for your inspiration.

-prpatel.

[Nezrin]

That's great to hear @prpatel ! and glad to hear that OneDrive option works as well :)

[bertal34]

@prpatel 

I follow the steps you described above but I don't see how Alteryx Server would have a "live connection" to the file synced to your OneDrive.  For example, let's say the input file you are syncing is excel and you make a change by adding a row to it.  If you rerun the wf on server, does it pickup the new row and output to your Tableau?

I am trying myself to figure out how to make the Sync method work well on Server.