Alteryx Designer Desktop Ideas

Hello!
A quite minor, pedantic issue from me today. 

Currently, the Oversample Field Tool's naming and configuration suggest that the tool can over sample data:

However, I would argue the tool under samples data instead.

Here are a few sources that explain this much better than I can:

• Towards Data Science
• Wikipedia
• Medium

And an image is taken from Medium:

Effectively either step is to create a similar (or same) number of records between each class. Under sampling is the process of taking samples from the majority class, and ending up with a smaller dataset than started with. Over sampling is the process of duplicating records within the minority class, and creates a larger dataset.

When using the Oversample tool within Alteryx, using the example workflow for reference:

When summarizing the input:

And the output:

It's clear that the data has actually been under sampled, in that random samples have been taken from the majority class to match the minority, rather than creating duplicate minority records. 

I would suggest a quick renaming of the tool to "Undersample Field Tool", and documentation to not cause confusion to new users of the platform.

Kind Regards,

TheOC

Current:

Currently in Result window we have datacleanse, fileter and sort functionality which makes life easier.

We dont have column Rename and Data type change functionality. In order to do that we need to drag a tool for the same for Rename of column.

Expectaion:

Result Tool should be capable enough to Rename column and Data type.

It will save a lot of time ,

Idea: Add a Connection Line Routing Tool

Details

Connection lines get in the way. A routing tool could solve this problem simply by guiding the line through its position. The input would be the same as the output, but the direction of the input/output anchors should be configurable.

Hi Team,

Microsoft Outlook is extensively used for day to day operations. With more teams, adopting Alteryx within the firm. We wanted to explore the option of end to end automation and the outputs are directly triggered to external email domains however, due to firm restrictions we cannot send email to external/internal email domains without labelling the email. Is there way to in include email labelling/classification as part of emailing tool.

Tools should not error with Zero rows, often when working with macros it is possible to have a scenario where zero rows or columns is legitimate. Some tools are fine with this and some are not. In my case the Select Tool does not allow it so I have to create a Work around with a Text Input tool.

In Japan, the prople usually use the date format "yyyy/mm/dd". But there is no preset in Date tool. So I usually use custom setting, but it is the waste of time.

So please add yyyy/mm/dd format to the preset in Date tool configuration for Japanese people.

On the UNION tool, allow for deselecting columns that aren't relevant.  Leave the union exactly as it is, and you could go into the manual configuration. Align the columns just as you would in the manual configuration.  The addition would be that you have the behavior like you see in a join tool where you could deselect C1, C2, C3.... Cx. 

Too many times I have a union and there are fields I simply don't even want to bring in, but then have to add a select tool right after in order to remove them. 

Alteryx Server is great, but very costly.  Having the ability to install the Alteryx engine without the Designer, thus allowing you to share Workflows/Apps with users directly.  This could be licensed on a per user basis as well, but a reduced cost.

This also allows for some more advanced workflows that do not work in the Gallery.

Please add a data validator workflow.

Suggested features will be the following:

1.  Add validation name and set the field/s of your data you want to validate. (it can have more than one validation name on one workflow)

2. On the selected validation(name). Add features that will check/validate the information below:

   A. Verify data type
   B. Contains Null
   C. Max and Min string length
   D. Allowed values only, else it will give you an error
   E. Regex expected to match and not allowed to match.

3. It can have two(2) outputs. One is True(which is match) and False(which is fail over/error).

In the tools that embed the "Rename" option (Select, Append Fields, Join, Join Multiple), copying the new name will copy all the information of the field configuration : tick/untick, original field name, type, size, new name and description.

Renaming the field "Rename_Field"

In my opinion, it should copy only the new name. This would be useful, especially because when you change the name of a field, it isn't automatically changed in subsequent tools, so copying it to replace it in those tools is faster than retyping it every time.

Currently it's not possible to "switch off" interface tools in the same was as we can with the other tools. This limits the functionality especially within chained apps. If we could switch these tools off it would be much easier for us to tailor the experience by allowing selections to be activated by logic, rather than simply the data therein.

Please Alteryx Gods. I beseech thee!

*lights candles*

Here's a sample of what you get if no records are read into a python tool:

Error: CReW SHA256 (4): Tool #1: Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "D:\Engine_10804_3513901e8d4d4ab48a13c314a18fd1f9_\2f1b1eb4701e445775092128efe77f76\workbook.py", line 7, in <module>
    df = Alteryx.read('#1')
  File "C:\Program Files\Alteryx\bin\Miniconda3\envs\DesignerBaseTools_venv\lib\site-packages\ayx\export.py", line 35, in read
    return _CachedData_(debug=debug).read(incoming_connection_name, **kwargs)
  File "C:\Program Files\Alteryx\bin\Miniconda3\envs\DesignerBaseTools_venv\lib\site-packages\ayx\CachedData.py", line 306, in read
    data = db.getData()
  File "C:\Program Files\Alteryx\bin\Miniconda3\envs\DesignerBaseTools_venv\lib\site-packages\ayx\Datafiles.py", line 500, in getData
    data = self.connection.read_nparrays()
RuntimeError: DataWrap2WrigleyDb::GoRecord: Attempt to seek past the end of the file

I've fixed this in my macro by forcing a DUMMY record into the python tool (deleting it on the back-end).  It would be much nicer to have error handling that prevents the issue.  Even as a configuration option, what to do with no input this would simplify things.  

This error condition potentially effects every python tool created.

Cheers,

Mark

Similar to the setting that you have in many individual tools  (join, append, select, et al) where you can go to options and choose to "forget missing fields" it would be nice where you could go to options for the entire flow and "forget missing fields".

This would remove the headache that you have with large flows where you make a change(s) then have to go back through each and every tool to "forget" within that tool. Yes you could still do it individually, but if you chose, you could also do it universally for the entire flow all at once to all the 'missing fields'. 

Hi all,
Something really interesting I found - and never knew about, is there are actually in-DB predictive tools. You can find these by having a connect-indb tool on the canvas and dragging on one of the many predictive tools.

For instance:
boosted model dragged on empty campus:

Boosted model tool deleted, connect in-db tool added to the canvas:

Boosted Model dragged onto the canvas the exact same:

This is awesome! I have no idea how these tools work, I have only just found out they are a thing. Are we able to unhide these? I actually thought I had fallen into an Alteryx Designer bug, however it appears to be much more of a feature.

Sadly these tools are currently not searchable for, and do not show up under the in-DB section. However, I believe these need to be more accessible and well documented for users to find.

Cheers,
TheOC

Hello Team,

When we do run and cache workflow it remain in the cache memory for only the time the Alteryx designer or that workflow is open.

Advantage: We dont need to wait for the data to load in input data tool and the result is validated properly.

Disadvantage: Loss of time and money when the Alteryx Designer is closed automatically or mistaken.

Expectation:

Can we provide a token Expiry for 12 to 24 hrs so the precious time and money is not wasted.

This will be very useful when we are working on billions of Data.

Hello!

Currently when using the formula tool, you can create a string using the two following methods:

With speech marks, or an apostrophe being used respectively.

I would expect both of these methods to behave the exact same way, however what is interesting is that if you type within the apostrophes anything that would prompt a formula, this is still prompted:

This is not the case within the speech marks:

This can cause mistakes with autocompletion when typing within the field. I propose a small QoL change that the formula tool will recognise a string is being written when within two apostrophes. I believe the logic is already built for that, given that it behaves in every other way the same, and highlights green too. 

Cheers,
TheOC

Data Cleansing Tool:   There should be a sub-category on the "Punctuation" cleansing.  Ideally to have an option to "Include Only" or conversely "Exclude these characters" which would allow you for example to remove all characters except   "." from a dollar formatted field .  There are times when you need to clean almost everything except a certain punctuation or not. 

Hello,

More and more databases have complex data types such as array, struct or map. This would be nice if we could use it on Alteryx as input, as internal and as output, with calculations available on it.

https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/hive/languagemanual+types#LanguageManualTypes-ComplexTyp...

Best regards,

Simon

By default output always print Headers as shown in item 1 below, I am looking to print item 2 as Header.  Item 3 is my output.

I tried item 4 below, doesn’t work.

Please consider this in your future releases.  It saves lot of time as the Outputs can contain hundreds of fields and output files are shared with User community who understands the Field description much more than Field name.  For example SAP Field-KUNNR does not mean nothing to a User than its description 'Customer'.

A check box on the Output Tool should able to toggle the selection between Field or its Description.

You might argue that the Rename column can be used, agree it would be difficult to manually type in hundreds of fields.  As an alternative you can provide automatic Rename population with Description.