Environment Details
When using a Gallery Data Connection in Designer the following Window opens up.
Clicking OK opens a window with error message "Root element is missing".
- Alteryx Designer
- Access to Alteryx Gallery
- Supported database driver and access to supported database
Cause
The error message generally indicates that there is an issue with the connection to the database.
Before proceeding with the below steps make sure - if possible - that the database connection is working outside Designer. Many ODBC drivers have an option to test connectivity.
Resolution
As the root cause is typically an invalid Connection String there are two options how to tackle the issue.
Option A
- Copy the connection string from Alteryx Admin Gallery > Data Connections and test it in Designer. Usually the error stems from an invalid Connection String.
- A common error source is the missing odbc: (odbc) or odb: (oledb) at the beginning of the connection string.
For instance:
odbc:Driver={SQL Server Native Client 11.0}; DATABASE={Test_Database};SERVER={Test_Server};Trusted_Connection=yesOption B
Additional Resources
Alteryx KB article common DSN less connection strings
ConnectionStrings.com - a reference guide to connection strings
Alteryx Help Doc article connecting to a database
Alteryx KB article Gallery Data Connections FAQ
Alteryx Help Doc article Gallery Data Connections