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Alteryx Designer Desktop Ideas

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I would really like to see .dif files added as a file option to the output tool. Currently, I have to output as an excel file and then open the file and save as a .dif file format. Figure if Excel can save the file format, Alteryx should be able as well.

 

Thanks,

 

Hello all,

As you may know, Alteryx use the Active Query Builder component. However this component itself evolves with cool new features :
https://www.activequerybuilder.com/blog/2018-04-28-much-faster-visual-sql-query-building-in-the-new-...

 

You can also try the online demo

https://www.activequerybuilder.com/

simonaubert_bd_0-1628595636399.png

 

Best regards,

Simon

FILE==>Open Recent==>

(add the ability to Pin Favorite Workflows)

 

The Pinned workflows will persist at the top of your recent files each time you open your Alteryx Designer Application.

Hi,

I am not sure if it is only me, but quite often, I am getting distracted. I believe I am not the only person bombarded by the amount of notification/ping on chat etc. That is the reason why quite often, I forgot what I am doing.

Let's imagine a scenario like this. I want to use the date-time parse function. First, I look at the data. I want to figure out what the format is, and I want to start writing a formula.

 

Emil_Kos_1-1628193069710.png

 

I know what format it is, and I am writing a formula in a formula tool. I remember the date was the first position but what was next? I got distracted. I don't know the original formula was structured.

 

Emil_Kos_2-1628193126256.png

 

Wouldn't it be cool to see the results from the previous tool still when working on the new one?

 

Emil_Kos_0-1628193336256.png

 

My workaround is to copy-paste pics into one note when I am working on something but I am not a big fan of a workaround like this 😀

 

Emil_Kos_1-1628193554913.png

 

 

 

Hello all,

Here is a very, very simple idea :

just having the right to put a minimum length to Text Pre-processing
Why ? A lot of words (especially in French) with 1 or 2 characters does not change the meaning, the sentiment: la, le, à, un, une, etc... In English : in, the, etc..

 
 
 

Best regards,

Simon

While it is good to have the test tool stop outputs based on tests, it isn't too insightful to users on the full details of these error messages. It would be more useful to have an output location for a test if these errors appear so that end users can troubleshoot instead of the workflow developer having to work through all of the error messaging.

 

There are workarounds for this that can be used, but they are often extensive and require the addition of significant logic. Adding optional outputs to the test tool would be a simple fix that could save a lot of hours of debugging when end users find an error.

0 Likes

Canvas settings can be used for providing more clarity and clutter-free look of complex workflows. For example, using Auto Route Perpendicular (where connection lines between tools are straight lines and break at 90 degrees and using different colours can really help in understanding workflow faster to someone who is looking at it for the first time. 

 

I know this is very subjective, but these additional customization settings can increase clarity in complex workflows. Especially when sharing workflow with others. 

 

slobodanium_0-1627908738048.png

 

0 Likes

The find and replace feature is great. Unfortunately, I was unpleasantly surprised to learn the hard way that workflow events are outside of its reach. Please expand to include the entire workflow to act on everything opening the xml in notepad could find and replace. The following demonstrates the omission...

 

On left side I search for the string “v022”

Below that shows zero matches

In the open event box near the center, “v022” appears in the command box

The occurrence in event command box should appear as a match, but does not.

 

 

hroderickthr_0-1627674740745.png

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I am not sure why it is so complicated to troubleshoot formula tools in Alteryx. When I am getting an error with information parse error at char (char number) why we don't get this information highlighted in the configuration tool at the left. 

 

It should be crystal clear for the user where he needs to troubleshoot his workflow. We can say that the formula tool is showing us where the formula is working, so it isn't so bad.

 

Emil_Kos_1-1627633045135.png

 

When working with a multi formulas tool, it isn't easy to figure out where the mistake occurred.

 

Emil_Kos_3-1627633300161.png

 

Can we highlight somehow this specific character and make users life easier?

Hello all,

As of today, you can use the Dynamic Select Field with two options

-by types (you can dynamically select all, all date, etc..)
-by formula

I suggest 2 easy improvements

-from a list field. You connect a field list to a second entry with a "Field name" field
-from flow : You connect a flow to a second entry and the common fields are selected

Best regards,

Simon

Dear Alteryx Team, 

 

please put an option marker /button in the formula tool to ask if the newly added column should be placed at the beginning as first column or at the end (as it is now- this could be a default setting). 

 

The problem is that with a lot of fields it is quite time consuming to drag and drop the newly added column from the end of the field array to the beginning. Depending on where you want to reallocate the column you might want to start from the front or from the back to drag and drop (right click holded) the column in order to reorder it. 

 

Mostly I would like to start from the front, I noticed. 

 

Robinpi_0-1627299058578.png

 

Thank you

 

 

 

Very often, I used a container to make notes about certain parts of the workflow. Some of the comments that I created are pretty long. Could the user have the possibility to have at least rows for the title of the container?

 

Emil_Kos_0-1627035618539.png

I have created a screen to show what I have in mind. Potentially users could have the ability to turn this option on or inside the container?

Emil_Kos_1-1627035835238.png

 

0 Likes

So while first and last make sense concat will crash the system. Here's a screen grab... Designer really doesn't like crosstab reporting tools set (accidentally) to concatenate 3 macros deep in a workflow. Just crashed 3 times before I tracked down the error on my system.2021-07-22.png

As a change to Designer UI in 2021.2, when in the filter box, I used to be able to use my mouse to click a little X in the corner to clear the filter or sort that had been implemented and it would immediately clear the filter.  It's not working as of 2021.2.  Now, I must navigate to the last cascade to get to the word Clear and click on it to clear the filter. 

This feels like another very tiny move in the wrong direction. These small UI changes cause 2 or 3 additional steps and slow the diagnostic/navigation process in moving around the Results Grid in the Browse Tool or at any point in the flow where the Results Grid is used.

Can the X in the top level of the Filter/Sort box in the Results Grid be restored in 2021.2?

 

Drvt6713_0-1626981721300.png

Related to submission:

Small fix for the UI in the Results Grid (or Browse Tool)

Small Keyboard fix for the browse tool's filter

0 Likes

As a change to Designer UI in 2021.2, when in the filter box, I used to be able to use my mouse to Paste in the value and then hit enter/apply to apply the filter.  It's not working as of 2021.2.  Now, if I hit paste from my mouse, it just closes the Filter box and applies nothing.  It forces me to have to change between mouse and keyboard as that is the only way to paste a value into the filter value box (CTRL-V). 

This feels like another very tiny move in the wrong direction. These small UI changes cause 2 or 3 additional steps and slow the diagnostic/navigation process in moving around the Results Grid in the Browse Tool or at any point in the flow where the Results Grid is used.

Can mouse functionality be restored in 2021.2?

 

Drvt6713_0-1626980827262.png

 

Related to submission: 

Small Keyboard fix for the browse tool's filter 

from  

Table names seem very similar to named ranges in Excel. However, my workflow bombs when I try to read in a named table. Instead, I have to open the workbook, find the range of the table, and then type the range in the input tool. Alternatively, I could name the range that the table is in. However, I don't want to have a table name and a range name that are both referring to the same thing. So, I'd like to be able to read in a table I have in an excel workbook based on the name of the table. Does that make sense? Anything I can do to make the question clearer? Thank you!

Do put an option to take any distance.

 

Pang_Hee_Choy_0-1626861529964.png

it sure have case that we do not care the distance.

 

same go to other spatial tool have similar setting.

I will start off with a story. I have built a process to manage batch API requests. It's an iterative process that checks to see where the export is at by calling an API and then returning some status. It will run and wait and run and wait until the export is ready to be downloaded. However sometimes, the jobs don't finish and a status returns something like "failed" or "cancelled". When this is the case, I have my process (which is a little bit batch macro) kicks off an error message, using the nifty error message tool. After some time I noticed that it was a PAIN to go back and figure out which of my requests failed and I decided that I need to add some messaging around where this was failing, so I could do some easy auditing. So I go back into my tool and much to my chagrin, I cannot pass variables into the message section. I would expect it to have worked something like this:

 

"Record "+[#2]+" is not 'A'"

 

Can we please get a change to this. It would save a lot of time and energy if we could create a dynamic error message option.

 

TL;DR Please allow us to use formulas in the "If expression is true, display error message:" settings area.

0 Likes

Can we please have a Group By option added to Random % Sample tool? It would ease a lot of things!

We aren't getting a huge amount of help from support on this, so I'm posting this idea to raise awareness for the product teams responsible for the Salesforce connectors and the embedded Python environment.

 

This post from user Dubya describes the issue in detail:

 

I have a workflow with several salesforce tools in it, which works fine on my machine. But we need another alteryx user in our office to be able to access, run and maintain the workflow too, via their machine and copy of alteryx designer.

However we're finding that the salesforce inputs and outputs can only be authenticated on one machine at a time.

When the other new user opens the original workflow from the shared network location, the salesforce tools display an error "Salesforce Input (1): {'error': 'invalid_grant', 'error_description': 'authentication failure'}" and the tools fail to load any data. But we can see the full query in the tool and we can even set the custom query option and validate the query successfully, which suggests the source is being correctly connected to and queried, but we just cant run the tool.

The only way to run the tool successfully is to change the credentials and re-authenticate the tool. However this then de-authenticates the original machine, and when we open up the workflow on there and try to run ying the workflow brings back the same error.

We've both tried this authentication back and forth on our own machines and each time one of us re-authenticates, it de-authenticates the other, leading to it triggering the error.

Can someone help explain what's going on and how to fix it, as this doesn't bode well for our collaboration.

We're both running:
The latest build of version of designer 2021.2 (original machine also running desktop automation)
Salesforce Input Tool v4.1.0
Salesforce Output Tool v1.3.0

My response here identifies that this is a problem for our organization as well:

 

We're experiencing the same issue. It appears to be related to how the tool handles password and security token decryption. I've found that when you modify the related registry entry from "true" to "false", you can see in the tool's xml that the encrypted password and security token are still in there. I'm not sure what else is going on behind the scenes beyond that, but that ought to be addressable by the product teams handling the Salesforce connectors and the Python installation embedded in Designer.

The only differences in our environment compared to u/Dubya's are that we're running on 2020.4 and attempting to use Salesforce Input Tool v4.2.4.

 

This is a must have for anyone who needs the ability to share workflows among multiple users. This is part of a series of problems that these updated connectors have been plagued with since introducing them years ago, and no one at Alteryx seems to care enough to truly fix the problems. Salesforce is a core system for our organization, so having tools that utilize the latest version of Salesforce's APIs is very important to us. The additional features that the Input tool provides are welcome, but these bugs have to be sorted out in order for us to extract any kind of value out of them. If the "deprecated" Salesforce tools were ever to be removed from Designer while there are issues with the "new" connectors, we would have no choice other than to never upgrade Designer/Server again and be forced to look for another product to serve as our ETL platform.

 

Please, please, please address this.

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