Intermittent Alteryx Connection Errors to Azure - SQL Retry Logic

[nbutler]

Could Alteryx create a solution or work around for their tools to retry the queries with Azure DB connectivity outages.

If there are intermittent, transient (short-lived) connection outages with cloud Azure DB, then what action can we take with Alteryx to retry the queries.

Examples of retry Azure SQL logic:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-troubleshoot-common-connection-issu...

“2. Applications that connect to a cloud service such as Azure SQL Database should expect periodic reconfiguration events and implement retry logic to handle these errors instead of surfacing these as application errors to users”.

SQL retry logic is a feature that is not currently supported by Alteryx.

For further information please see [ ref:_00DE0JJZ4._5004412Star:ref ]:

Hi Alteryx Support,

We are experiencing intermittent errors with our Alteryx workflows connecting to our Azure production database with Alteryx Designer v2018.4.3.54046.

Is there anything we can do to avoid or work around these intermittent / transient (short-lived) connection errors, such as, changing the execution timing or the SQL driver settings.

Or can we incorporate examples of retry Azure SQL logic:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-troubleshoot-common-connection-issu...

“2. Applications that connect to a cloud service such as Azure SQL Database should expect periodic reconfiguration events and implement retry logic to handle these errors instead of surfacing these as application errors to users”.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-develop-error-messages

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-connectivity-issues

Salesforce Import process, which contains 25 Workflow modules, completed with errors on:

Mon 25/02/2019 23:27

Error 1

2019-02-25 23:11:23:

2.1.18_SF_MailJobDocument_Import.yxmd:

Tool #245: Error opening connect string: Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server: Login timeout expired\HYT00 = 0; Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server: Invalid connection string attribute\01S00 = 0.

Error 2:

2019-02-25 23:26:31:

2.1.25_SF_ClientActivityParticipant_Import.yxmd:

Tool #258: Error opening connect string: Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server: Login timeout expired\HYT00 = 0; Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server: Invalid connection string attribute\01S00 = 0.

Salesforce Import Workflow completed with errors on:

Wed 27/02/2019 23:24

Error 3

2019-02-27 23:06:47:

2.1.17_SF_MailJobs_Import.yxmd:

DataWrap2ODBC::SendBatch: [Microsoft][SQL Server Native Client 11.0]TCP Provider: The specified network name is no longer available.

Regards,

Nigel

[CorWin]

Alteryx really should build in RETRY logic (or at least give the option to define it) on OLEDB connections!

Azure has an automatic 30 minute timeout, and it seems Alterex REUSES open connections... and if it happens to be a connection that is older than 30 minutes, it tries using a DEAD connection... and the entire workflow fails... When this happens after a few hours of waiting, it is extremely frustrating. And an simple automated retry inside the Alteryx app would be simple and elegant.... but it is not there.

Error opening connect string: Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server: Communication link failure\08S01 = 10054; Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server: TCP Provider: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host. \08S01 = 10054 (Tool Id: 214)
We get the above a lot. And it is on OPENING a new connection... which seems contradictory... how can an EXISTING connection be forcibly closed if im trying to open a NEW connection?