Alteryx Designer Desktop Ideas

As @Jonathan-Sherman pointed out in his blog post we love that the toolbar is back in version 2020.2!

 

One way that this toolbar could be enhanced, however, is to allow the use of the save button while a workflow is running. The user can still click File->Save while the workflow is running, but it would be quicker to be able to use the button on the toolbar.

 

My idea is to have the AlteryxEngineCMD.exe to run a workflow as part of the standard Alteryx license.

 

Use case - be able to run Alteryx from the command line without the need to buy the entire Scheduler package (at $6,500/seat).

 

I understand why certain features are add on, but the ability to run AlteryxEngineCMD.exe (I feel) should be part of  the standard license which is already $5K+. For those who only need to be able to run a command line execution of a workflow $6.5K is a lot of money!

Alteryx creates a Livy Session when connecting to Spark Direct 

 

I just want to identify easily the session.

The ability to create Interface tools would be helpful. I would to edit multiple actions at the same time on a single tool, but it needs to be done dynamically. All of these tools exist within the standard tool set, but the standard action tool only allows for one action to be done per tool.  

 

Other Examples:

-Radio Button Groupings (only 1 scenario can be selected within a group instead of one radio button per designer interface)

 

-Replace textual selection with a graphic selection:

                       Please select a Park to run the report for:

 

                      Islands of Adventure     Universal Studios      Both        vs                IOA          Universal Studios         UPR

 

 

-Toggle List Box Options where: 

Include Field in Record (Horizontal)	Transpose Field in Record (Vertical)	Field Name
X		Record Date
	X	Product 1
	X	Product 2

 

Survey Import

 

 

Rather than giving the users a big list of different date formats to choose from, allow the user to construct their own format with syntax of the incoming date that they are dealing with.

Currently I need to do a string function moving dates around to match a predefined syntax...

In Excel you can use an Indirect function to create strings to return a valid cell reference.

 

For example if in column A you have a list of sheet names e.g.

 

A1 = New York

A2 = Paris

A3 = London

 

Then you could create a formula which is Indirect(A1&"!B2") to reference the cell B2 in the New York tab.

 

An example of where I'd want to use this in Alteryx is to create a dynamic value based on a variable field.

 

For example based on this data:

 

I write [car make]+"_"+[car model] in the formula it will return the following

Volkswagen_Golf

Pontiac_Firebird

Audi_TT

Subaru_Outback etc.

 

However if I want it to be dynamic in an app or macro to allow the user to choose a suffix via a drop down this is not straight forward.

If I set up the tooling in this way:

 

What I get is the [#1] will bring in the field name and not the field value. So it would come through as Volkswagen_car model.

 

So my suggestion is that you have the ability to something like

[car make]+indirect("["+[#1]+"]") which would evaluate to [car make]+"_"+[car model] when car model is selected in the drop down.

 

The current workaround with help from @JonathanSherman is to use a dynamic select where [Name] = [#1] then join that onto the original dataset and use a dynamic rename create a new dynamic suffix field that can then be used.

 

 

Which while a nice design pattern, isn't as intuitive as indirect for those coming from a strong Excel background.

 

 

Hello!

 

I have a very regional problem, when we use reporting tools, they seem to be encoded in ansi, but in France, we use a lot of accents, and when we want to use the mail tool, we have to "write wrong" with e instead of é for instance, would it be possible to make it possible for us to use accents, I saw a solution in this post (https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Discussions/French-Characters-in-an-Email-using-Re...) but if it would be possible to have the option directly in the reporting tools it would be a lot easier for us to use them in an automated way!

Hi!

 

So Dynamic Select is a wonderful tool - but in Formula mode it effectively acts as a filter. It drops all of the other fields which don't match the filter and they disappear - floating in the workflow ether, dreaming of the Join tool or other way they can be given XML life anew.  It would be super cool if in stead of just having those Fields which are true exit and continue into the workflow if the False fields could be launched back into the workflow space via a False anchor like on a filter tool....

 

Hypothetical situation - I'm looking to isolate some fields and convert them to a different format based upon name or other characteristic. I'm doing this not to jettison my data set, but to improve it. I run dynamic select and multi-field tool, and suddenly I'm scratching my head. How do I rejoin my workflow with my new and improved data easily? The most direct, albeit stylistically immature way is apparently to a a new_ to my newly created new type fields, join the old fields versus the datastream and drop both of the old fields in place of the New_ versions (soon to shed their prefixes in a dynamic rename)... It works, but it could be much easier.

 

Thanks!

On the “Multi-Field Formula” tool, the default is to “copy output fields and Add….”  I think the default should NOT copy. I’m using this tool to trim all of the blank spaces, and change the case in text fields. I often forget to uncheck it and end up with all these additional fields at the end. With regard to the tool container, I think the default margin should be small. I build huge workflows, and putting each section in a tool container. I have to go in and change each one to small margins to condense the workspace. Perhaps in the user settings, under document, there could be a default margin option, just as there is a container color option.

Currently I am running two version of Alteryx and some of the macros were created/updated in the newer version of Alteryx. I would like to see only one error message displayed for all of the macros created in a newer version rather than having a dialog box pop up a dozen plus times (one for each macro) every time I open an instance.

 

Macro Error Message

Hi Team,

 

Download tool is not updated their encryption policy. This stool still support SHA-1 but as per the organization requirements they want higher encryption mechanism. As in my case we are using SFTP connection and we want to download the data but my SFTP server using SHA-2 encryption due to which we not able to configure the workflow. 

Please upgrade the Download tool for better experience in alteryx.

 

Regards,

Kaustubh 

Currently on the input tool I can only specify if the first row contains data.  It would be great if I could simply specify which row the data starts on, ie. row 4 or row 500, and then specify which row, if at all, contains the headers.

It would be great to dynamic update the next Analytic App based on an interface input. This mean I have a chained app. In Step 1 I ask a Yes/No Question. The Answer to this question will determine to open in Step 2 Analytic App A (with it's own interface Inputs) or Analytic App B (with other interface inputs).

Many users are facing this issue when they want to create an tool (e.g. for mapping purposes) that contains two datastreams/flows with different interface input requirements.

Adding this feature would allow us to create different dataflows with different input requirements. This helps us to differentiate between different mappingsschemes and increases userexperience (currently they have to fill a lot of unnecessary interface inputs). Thanks.

 

H.

Other applications I work in reguarly utilize right-click menus.  Sometimes those menus seem annoying, but in working with Alteryx, I realize it’s actually quite smart because it eliminates unnecessary wrist movement.  In the screenshot below, I have highlighted a bunch of fields.  The boxes were previously unchecked and I wanted to check them to bring them into my workflow.  I highlight them, and if I were in a different application, I would just right click and get access to everything that is in the options menu, but in Alteryx, I have to actually move the mouse to the options menu.  This might seem super nitpicky, but as someone who is currently suffering from overuse injuries in my wrists and hands, I really appreciate minimal wrist movement.

I haven't been able to find a similar idea, but I have a scenario were I'm fully joining a dataset but I get a mismatch of column names.

 

When using the column renaming functionality in the Join tool, data sent through the Left or Right connector is not renamed. When I'm performing a Full Join the Union tool is adding these columns to the resulting table.

 

The renaming column functionality of the Join Tool should apply to all join types for consistency. My workaround has been to avoid renaming columns in the Join tool if aiming to perform a multi-join.

 

The newest versions of Alteryx have the Designer Interface Calendar tool being very large when the app is run in Designer.  Anyway to give us the option to size it?  The old version was much more manageable from a development perspective when you have several of them on one screen.  Now you can barely fit 3 of them in one 23in screen.

Hello,
Recently I've been building quite a few chained apps for specific use-cases. Some of which are typical to be run in Designer, and have many chains.

 

This may just be a multiple monitors pain, but when running a chained app, if I submit the first app and continue to the other if I have dragged the Analytic app window anywhere - it will reset back to its original position.

 

I have found this to be a pain point especially in demonstrating Analytic Apps to someone, as I tend to show one of my screens, and have to drag the new Analytic app window over at each stage. It would be a great QOL difference to have this retain its position.

 

Basic example for demonstration (showing both monitors):

Step 1: Run the first chained analytic app (See attached)

Step 2: Drag the app interface over, fill out the app, hit continue:

Step 3: Notice that the app interface has reset back to the right monitor:

This does seem to always start on the PC 'primary monitor', however, I don't tend to use my Alteryx on my primary monitor, and have requirements for my other monitor being the primary. I am hoping as a QOL change, it can either be changed to remember where it is (ideally) or if easier to implement, open on the monitor that has Alteryx Designer open.

Please see attached the workflow I used for an example, let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,
TheOC

When you add a tool in the canvas, the annotation is automatically set (for example the formula, or connection configuration etc). You can then customize the annotation text in the "Annotation" tool's tab. But sometimes it can be useful to revert to the "automatic" annotation, and it doesn't seem possible once you set it to something different.

 

Apparently there is currently no way to reset a tool's annotation text to the automatic value.

 

I've found a way to do it by editing the xml content of the file : as far as I know you just have to delete the <AnnotationText>[...]</AnnotationText> tag and reload the file, and the annotation gets back to the default "automatic" value, which is still present in the <DefaultAnnotationText> tag.

 

I think a simple button in the tool's annotation tab to reset it would be nice.

 

Thank you!

As Alteryx becomes more focussed on the Enterprise - it is important that we build capabilities that support the needs of large-scale BI.

 

One of these critical needs is dealing with heterogeneous data from different systems that use different IDs for every critical entity / concept (e.g. client; product)

 

Here's the example:

Problem:

- In any large enterprise - there are several thousand different line-of business systems

- Each of these was probably built at a different time, and uses a different key for specific concepts - like Client & Product

- Most large enterprises that I've worked at do not have a pre-built way of transforming these codes so...

- This means that any downstream analytics finds it almost impossible to give single-view-of-customer or single-view-of-product.

 

Solution option A:

Reengineer all upstream systems.   Not feasible

Solution option B: 

Expect some reference-data team to fix this by building translations.   More feasible but not fast

Remaining Solution Option:

Just as Kimball talked about - the only real way is to define a set of enterprise dimensions, which are the defined master-list of critical concepts that you need to slice-and-dice by (client; product; currency; shipping method; etc) in a way which is source-system agnostic

Then you need a method in the middle to transform incoming data to use these codes.   This process is called "Conforming"

 

What would this look like in Alteryx?

Setup

• We would use the connect product to define a new dimension - say "Product".
• Give this a unique ID which is source-system independant; and then add on the attributes that are important for analytics (product type; category; manufacturer; etc)
• Then decide how to handle change (slowly changing dimension or SCD type 0,1,2, etc).   Alteryx should take full responsibility for managing this SCD history; as do many of the competitors
• We then create a list of possible synonym types (within Connect).   For example - a product may have a synonym ID from your supplier; from your ERP system; from your point of sale system.  that's 3 different IDs for any product.
• We then load up the master data - this is painful but necessary

In Use:

• I read in data into alteryx via any input tool
• I bring in a "Conforming" tool off the toolbox (new tool which is needed)
• It asks me which column or columns I wish to conform
• For each - it asks me which synonym type to use
• It then adds a translated column for me to use which ties back to the enterprise dimension - and spits out the errors where the synonym is necessary.

 

Impact:

In BI in smaller contexts, or quick rapid-fire BI - you don't have to worry about this.   But as soon as you go past a few hundred line-of-business systems and are trying to do enterprise reporting, you really have to take this serious.   This is a HUGE part of every BI persons's role in a large enterprise - and it is painful; slow and not very rewarding.   If we could create this idea of a simple-to-use and high-velocity conforming process - this would absolutely tear the doors off enterprise BI - and no-one else is doing this yet!

 

+ @AshleyK @BenG @NickJ @ARich @patrick_digan @JoshKushner @samN @Ari_Fuller @Arianna_Fuller