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SharePoint output with Control Containers

182129
7 - Meteor

I'm in Designer 2023.2 using SharePoint Output tool 2.4.2. I have an Excel flat file with a list of data. I also have an existing SharePoint site that I download into Alteryx. Basically the flat file is new information, either updates to existing data or new rows to be added. The workflow worked in the older version using SharePoint List Output tool. But now it's not working when I use the newer tool. I understand the output is different in that you don't have to send line by line data, just the primary key and fields you want to be updated. But SharePoint I assume still has limitations on how much data you can send at one time so that one process needs to finish running before the next one starts.

The workflow does a comparison to figure out which fields need to be updated and flags those fields with a Match column which is a boolean, e.g. Name Match, true means the names match, false means they don't and need to be updated. I have 22 fields that are being checked, most of them independent from other fields as far as updates. I also have an Append flag for new data. 

I have 2 problems, getting the Append configuration of the tool to work. I keep getting cannot convert String to Float. I have verified all of the field types match or are equivalent to what's in the SharePoint list and of course the error doesn't tell me which field is the issue.

So I thought if I go down the path of getting the Update portion to work, I'd be able to find out field by field which one isn't a match. But so far it has been unsuccessful. I have a filter for Update = true, then independent control containers with a filter for each field, e.g. Name_Match = False. But I can't figure out how to connect the control containers to run one after the other because, for example, if Name_Match = True, it doesn't pass any data to the next container.

 

For arguments sake let's say I have 26 columns in a SharePoint list and the same 26 columns in a flat file (happens to contain more than the 26 that I care about). So workflow compares column A in flat file with column A in SharePoint list and decides whether to set the A_Match field to true or false. If it's false want it to update column A using the data in the Excel file, then when it finishes, update column B, etc. 

Any suggestions?

2 REPLIES 2
cjaneczko
13 - Pulsar

Data isnt passed between each container. The onlything the control container does is recognize that the last line of data has completed and closed and allows the next container to start processing whatever is inside. You cannot connect any other tools to the control containers other than chaining one control container to the next. 

 

Take a look at this article on how they work.

 

https://help.alteryx.com/current/en/designer/tools/developer/control-container-tool.html#idm45436759...

 

182129
7 - Meteor

But the problem I'm having is if one particular data element doesn't have an update, so there's no table data passed to SharePoint in the container and I get an error about not being able to pass an empty table. I still need the down flow to continue to process each field.

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