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How to locate Alteryx from Excel

CBX
6 - Meteoroid

 

I recently took over some processes for a colleague that exited our company. There is an excel file output from an Alteryx query, that I need to update. However, I don't know where the query is on our shared drives that generates the excel output. Is there anyway to see, using the excel output, the location of the query that generated the output?

 

Thanks!

4 REPLIES 4
CharlieS
17 - Castor
17 - Castor

So far as I know, the metadata in the Excel file will only be able to tell you that it was produced by Alteryx, but not the location of the Alteryx workflow. 

 

If you know the folder/drive that the workflow is saved on and need help identifying which one, we can help you build a workflow that will find all Alteryx workflows on that drive and parse them to find any references to the Excel file name. This could take a long time to run, but it is potentially a path to the solution. 

CBX
6 - Meteoroid

Charlie, I do know the drive where the workflow is saved (or should be at least), and the excel file name. How can I build a workflow to search for it?

CharlieS
17 - Castor
17 - Castor

The general idea is that you're going to use Directory tools to bring in .yxmd, yxmc, and yxwz files, use a Dynamic Input to open those file as text, and then search that text for the file name. This is often referred to as "XML parsing" because the text form of Alteryx workflows is in XML format.

 

There's a few important settings on the Input tool to read the workflows:

- Read as delimited text, with a custom delimiter of "\0" (which means "no delimiter")

- Pump up the field width to something like 9999+

- Include the file name in the output so results can be compiled later.

- Deselect "First Field Contains Field Names"

 

I've put together the attached example to get your started. Just update the three Directory tools to the folder/drive where it lives and the Filter tool to the file you're looking for. 

CBX
6 - Meteoroid

Wow that worked perfectly, you're a lifesaver. Thank you!

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