Trouble with .zip file (11.x)

[PeterGoldey]

Hi -

Wondering if anyone else has run into this.  I have a zip file which opens with no errors using 7zip.

When I select Zip Archive in the Input Data tool, I don't get to the "Select File Type to Extract" dialogue.  Instead I receive:

"Error extracting file:  Unable to open archive for unzipping."

Has anyone else run into this?

[PaulN]

Hi @PeterGoldey,

Do you have this error with this particular file only or is it more generic?

How was the file generated (7-zip, etc.)?

If possible, would you be able to send an example of faulty zip file to support@alteryx.com?

Kind regards,

Paul Noirel

Customer Support Engineer

[PeterGoldey]

Hi Paul,

I'll send an email with this info to support as you suggested.

It doesn't seem to open ANY zipped file.  It fails at the same place for a simple file I've created using 7zip locally on my machine.  In fact, if i leave the default .7z extension, Alteryx doesn't even recognize it as a zip file.  If i name it .zip then it does, but still fails to open (won't list the file inside the zipped file.)

QUESTION:  I've set 7zip to be the default compression utility on the machine.  Does Alteryx use that?  Or have some other method for dealing with the file?

I'll attach 3 files to the support email, none of which Alteryx can open for me..

1. the .gz file that I'm really trying to open.

2. a .zip file i created locally

3. a .7z file i created locally

Thanks!

Pete

[DanC · Accepted solution]

Hi Peter,

I responded to your open support case via email, but I'll respond to this as well for the benefit of others.

You are correct in that Alteryx does not support (nor recognize) .7z files, and simply renaming the file extension to .zip will not work since the file was created using the 7z Archive Format. The compressed file must be created using the .zip Archive Format, as shown below:

When clicking on your archive and then the Info button in the 7 Zip program, the .zip file you sent shows that it is type 7z:

I unzipped your files using 7 Zip and and then re-zipped them with Archive Format ".zip". Alteryx was able to read them successfully. You will need to make sure that your archive process creates these files with the appropriate Archive Format.

Thank you, Peter!

[PeterGoldey]

Thanks Dan.

As I asked in the email, do you know if other compression formats are on the roadmap?  When working with external sources, selection of compression method is out of my hands....

- Pete

[PeterGoldey]

Thanks Dan.

As I asked in the email, do you know if other compression formats are on the roadmap?  When working with external sources, selection of compression method is out of my hands....

Also, might be worth adding something more explicit in the documentation on the Input Tool about exactly what is supported and examples (like .7z) of what is not?

- Pete

[Joe_Mako]

Another option is you can modify the macro at https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Data-Preparation-Blending/Can-Alteryx-unzip-a-file-as-part-of-the-w... by @jdunkerley79 to fit your needs.

For example with the 7zip command line tool, you can use the -t switch to have it extract the file as .gz regardless of the file's extension: https://sevenzip.osdn.jp/chm/cmdline/switches/type.htm

If you need help modifying it fit your needs, please provide a sample file(s) that represents your situation, and what you expect for a result (just extract all files to a directory, or union all data files, or union files of similar data structures or naming convention, etc). Be sure to include any complexity, like if there are multiple files or a directory structure of files with common names, or if you need it to extract multiple compressed files, etc.

[PeterGoldey]

Thank you Joe!

Going to take me a few days to circle back to this, but I'll post an update when I do.

- Pete