fully documented XML definitions (XSD plus XML Spy definitions)

[SeanAdams]

As we do more work analyzng the canvasses that our folk are producing - it's becoming more and more necessary to have a well documented definition and schema for the XML that is used for Alteryx Canvasses.

Please could you publish the full XML definition and schema for Alteryx canvasses - this will allow groups to perform deeper analytics on how people are using Alteryx, automate quality checks; look for learning gaps; scan for dependencies etc?

Note: this relates to an idea from @dataprep here: https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Ideas/Documentation-tool-list-fileformat/idi-p/184...

cc: @revathi @LizaNemchynova @ydmuley

[dataprep]

I try to parse the Alteryx yxmd, yxwz, yxmc... etc files.

It happens the tools and the fileformats are not written in clear : 

We should have a list stored somewhere (API, file?) where we can find the information. 

Best regards

[dataprep]

[BARTONCONNIE]

Fantastic! A great start even though some are null I can work with that.

[dataprep]

@BARTONCONNIE I only filled the one we use.

[dataprep]

(and don't hesitate to put a star on the idea ;) )

[SeanAdams]

This is very helpful @dataprep - it would be useful to have the full documentation for the XML definition (maybe an XSD and an XML Spy doc) for the canvas so that we can all develop analytic against the canvasses running in our env.

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Ideas/fully-documented-XML-definitions-XSD-plus-XM...

[saubert]

Hello @SeanAdams

 I began a macro (well, it's even an alpha) to parse some code. My main difficulty is the container notion. Maybe it should be a community project?

[SeanAdams]

Hey @saubert

@LordNeilLord found a clever way around the containers by treating the data as flat text and just reading nodes.

Take a look here: https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Weekly-Challenge/Challenge-99-SANTALYTICS-2017-Part-3/m-p/104120#M2...

But agree on the community project concept -I'm sure a few people have built pieces of this puzzle - perhaps worth setting up a GIT project, and a Slack discussion room, and bringing a few folk together to build this?

[saubert]

I tried also the flat text approach to geat easily the tools but then the tool configuration is quite harder to retrieve. As of today, I have both the text and the xml approach but it's not very clean. My goal was to get the list of tools used, the formula, the in/out (especially : use of alias? in db/standard?/hdfs/file?).

[Joe_Lipski]

This is important (+ many other forum requests) to improve user tracking and all the associated benefits that come with it.