I have a process where I output data to a database each week. Because the database fields have a pre-defined/expected data type, I must maintain that same data type in my workflow. However, I would still like Alteryx to determine the max size of the fields for string fields. The Auto Field tool does both, and sometimes it might change the data type of a field based on the records being passed at the time.
The reason is because the output to the target database is fastest when you make the string field sizes as small as possible. So, hard-coding the field sizes has inherent inefficiencies.