Temp files taking up too much space

[hyh]

Hello guys,

I recently noticed there are these temp files in the engine folder that took up most of my space. There are 277 of them and each of them is exactly 1 GB. I tried to reboot my computer and they won't go away. I also tried to google the file name e2temp but can't find anything. I thought once workflows finish running, temp files will be deleted automatically. Can I delete these files?

[Qiu]

@hyh 
Maybe you have turned on the System Override for temp folder?
https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Discussions/Temp-Files/td-p/461988

[hyh]

Hi Qiu,

I have not. Do we have any use for these files? Is it ok to delete them?

[Kurohits · Accepted solution]

Hi @hyh 

Yes you can delete temp files which are not automatically deleted through system settings. 

•  The lifespan of individual temp files differs, but in most cases, they are deleted as soon as that tool is done outputting all its records to downstream tools.
• Some temp files will not clear out until after the workflow is closed, such as temp files for Browse Data (*.yxdb files) and Browse Map (*.png files.)
• Orphaned” files (temp files remaining after a crash as in the case where temp space runs out) are automatically cleared out the next time the Alteryx Engine runs.

Let me know if you need any further help. 

Thanks 

Rohit Gupta

[TonyaS]

@hyh 

What version are you on? 

[hyh]

Version: 2021.3.4.00445

[TonyaS]

Thank you, we are looking into this and researching a possible solution for a future release. I will update when we know more. 

[hyh · Accepted solution]

@TonyaS 

I have found that these temp files are generated by a specific workflow that takes a long time to run. Because we didn't have enough space, the workflow couldn't complete and create these orphan files. We tested deleting them and that workflow works just fine. Thank you all for the help!

[TonyaS]

@hyh 

Did you notice if you got a message in Designer about compact packets? We think that is what causes those files to get generated. 

[hyh]

@TonyaS 

I didn't remember, when the workflow ran for three hours, I checked our space and there are only 1 GB left. It's still running, so I immediately stopped it and checked the engine folder. 400+ same temp files were there and rebooting didn't make them go away. Deleting them freed up space and didn't cause any issues.