Workflow error when running in VM

[xiaohanh]

I have scheduled a workflow on a VM that is acting as both the Worker and Controller. I am able to create the schedule without issues; however, when it runs, I get the following "Unable to translate alias" error.

After reading some articles, I tried to change the "Run As" in System Settings to a service account but ended up with the same error. Does anyone have any suggestions for what else I can try?

Thanks in advance!

[CharlieS]

If I'm not mistaken, the term "alias" there refers to a user-customized workflow dependency. If you open the workflow dependencies (Options > Advanced Options > Workflow Dependencies) look to see if there are any dependencies that begin with "aka:". This means that connection is tied to your user on your computer. 

If you discover that is the case, let us know and we'll see if there's a way to make a different connection to the same data source. 

[xiaohanh]

Thanks Charlie! Yes, indeed, I do see 2 dependencies beginning with "aka". Any suggestions on what to do from here? 

[CharlieS]

What can you tell us about the sources referenced in those dependencies? I assume it's a SQL Server or Oracle database, so let's talk about those.

- If it's Oracle, try the Oracle OCI connection options.

- If it's SQL Server, try the ODBC connection option. 

You'll notice that when you set these connections up, the connection information (server/database/schema/etc) are saved in the XML of the tool and displayed in the connection string of the tool. Now all those connection settings are saved with the workflow and travel with the workflow when it is shared (or scheduled).

[xiaohanh]

Thanks Charlie! I have set up an ODBC connection and tested that the connection works fine; however, when I change the connection to ODBC and try to test my query, it gives me an "Error opening <query>" message.

[CharlieS]

Are you able to get the ODBC connection working and query as you need on your local computer and it breaks on the VM? This might be because the VM needs to have the same connections available. On the VM, make sure the same connection is available by going to the Windows ODBC Manager to set up that connection.

Or does the connection/query not work on your local machine?

[xiaohanh]

This connection works on my local machine as well as VM, though I've never tried it in Alteryx on my local machine. I set up the ODBC connection here and had no issues when testing:

[CharlieS]

Got it. If you've got the ODBC connection made on both machines, this is probably a permissions/credentials issue. When you log in and run the workflow, your user credentials are executing the query. When the scheduler runs the workflow, the Alteryx Service is the user executing the query. 

There are two ways to approach this:

1) Provide your credentials for the Alteryx Service to use.

 - On the VM, open Designer and go to Options > Advanced > System Settings > Worker > Run As... Enter your credentials there for the worker (scheduler) to use.

- On the VM, go to Start > Services and find "Alteryx Service" in the list then right click > Properties. The "Log On" tab will have a space for you to enter your credentials for the service to use.

2) Have the Alteryx Service user granted permissions to the necessary DB (typically done by IT or a DBA)

In either case, it's a good idea to discuss this with your organizations IT professionals to discuss what is the best route to take. 

[xiaohanh]

Thanks Charlie! I followed your instructions in Approach #1 and was able to get the workflow running with the ODBC connection. However, now when I try to schedule the workflow, I am getting a "Could not connect to controller ________" error. When I try to re-add the controller, I get a similar error. Any idea what I might've done to trigger this?