Why can't Alteryx update like a normal program?

[iurc_3]

As in the title. Why on earth am I always going to the horribly designed download page, downloading the whole thing all over again, and reinstalling all the Python dependencies for fifteen minutes, and then uninstalling the previous version like a chump?

[atcodedog05]

Hi @iurc_3 

This is definitely an interesting topic. Just curious, what other softwares updates themselves?🤔

[iurc_3]

I wouldn't know. But most software gives you an update toast, you click it, it downloads an update package, runs the update, restarts. Not sure why I'm explaining this since surely you have used other software at one time or another.

[apathetichell]

Here's one reason why - Alteryx requires python and r environments. Those environments cannot be as readily repurposed from one version to another. What would be a comparable software program which you use which uses those? I think you have to kind of think of it like a kernel upgrade which can be extensive...

[iurc_3]

Right, it's not unlike updating a Linux distro except those tend to be predictably rolling. These aren't, and the process seems to be the same for major and minor updates alike.

I dunno. I guess I'm asking because Alteryx in general seems to make basic things weirdly cumbersome for its users.

[apathetichell]

That's my take - there are a ton of different components which all have to work together... I'd posit that the installation pains are what makes the operation work so well (at least for my usage)... It's a trade off..

[iurc_3]

Makes sense to a degree. But none of it explains why the update process includes going to a (let's be real, ugly as all hell) web page to download the package.

[apathetichell]

I have no answers for that one...

[mja65]

I both agree and disagree with the sentiment. Would be great if if was more modular in terms of being able to update incrementally and the linux analogy to me is a good one in the sense of the package upgrades. Having said I can see the point of one of the earlier comments in that other software doesn't work this way either. 

The other aspect of this is that i use Alteryx in a commercial setting and it's very important people in my team use the same version of Alteryx. The current downloads process, while painful, is still (unfortunately!) flexible enough that people can download a newer version of Alteryx and install it meaning we would have people using different versions. Not ideal when newer functionality like the AMP engine is being introduced where its perhaps not as mature as it needs to be for all use cases.