How can custom APIs be made available through Alteryx Server/Designer

[revathi]

A lot of internal applications and tools in my org provide APIs which are used by Alteryx users to extract and transform the data.

Team working on Machine Learning solutions are creating tons of API and are looking for ways to make those APIs available to all Alteryx users in our org. Custom macros or reusable solutions are made available through Public gallery and also through designer custom configuration (Network path is configured as default macro path in Designer. so any macro placed in that network path is visible in designer for use by Alteryx users)  

Similarly, how can APIs be made available by developers through Designer/Server ? 

Thanks 

[Harbinger · Accepted solution]

@revathi that is a great question. 

Sounds like you're already familiar with macros which is great because that is where my suggestion will go. 

Let's take an example.

• Create a Macro
  • At Continuus, we need to pull data from BLS a lot so we encapsulated the data.gov API pull and subsequent data transformation in the below standard macro.
    • 
• Share your API to standardize and scale API access 
  • To share this, there are two options I have seen work.
    • Gallery/Districts: This is exactly the same as putting any other macro on the gallery as you mentioned above. Users just have to download this and add it to their macro repository for development. 
    • Shared Macro Repository: here you place all macros (API and otherwise) in a network location and then set that fully qualified network location as the macro repo for all designers and servers. here is a great article on how to do that: https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Server-Knowledge-Base/Sharing-Macros-in-Alteryx-Designer-an...
      • This is the preferred method as there is continuity between server and designer, and it ensures that everyone is using the same version of a macro. Alas, that very same centrality requires caution when updating macros and does not have the versioning that server would.

Once the API connectors have been shared, just use them as inputs on any workflow that requires the data!

I hope this helps! 

Best, 

John

[revathi]

Thanks for the detailed post John! Tested with an API - worked perfectly well.  

[Harbinger]

Great, glad to help.

As an aside— if you have sensitive information in these macros (keys, secrets, tokens, etc.) it’s best you encrypt it and then publish it.  

here’s how to encrypt https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Discussions/Alteryx-Encryption-Workflows/td-p/4256...