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Collaborative workflow editing, tracking and version control

This idea has been touted in different flavours over the years (but not implemented), but I'd like to push it a little further:

 

1. Create the ability to collaboratively edit an Alteryx workflow - e.g. like you can edit Microsoft documents collaboratively. If the front-end is primarily an XML interface, this should in theory be possible?

2. Version control (not version tracking) - i.e. automatically state the differences in scripts between versions and allow for checking in and checking out of code

3. Power BI & Tableau Prep have the ability to see exactly what changes were made and to reverse steps to get back to a specific stage of development: it would be great to have a panel that tracks all the edits you've made since you started editing the workflow

 

In simple terms, a modern, interactive way for multiple developers to work together, but also to encourage the use of Server to "check in" your application and to avoid developers saving the same file over & over again locally.

15 Comments
JohnPelletier
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)

@TomWelgemoed 

So what points of integration with git would you need to see, based on your configuration?

And that question is open to anyone else as well.

TomWelgemoed
12 - Quasar

Hi @JohnPelletier,

 

Ah, I didn't realise you explicitly meant GIT - I thought it was an example. I'd like to answer your question in detail, but I'm unfortunately pressed for time, so I'll give you a quick few perspectives:

 

1. I think the repository/version tracking should be visible within Alteryx - perhaps a little like the Autosaved feature works, but instead of seeing all workflows that were "auto-saved", I'd want to see the versions of the document that has been updated

 

2. Ideally, it should also be possible to see all changes (steps) made to the current document/workflow, the same way that Tableau Prep or Power BI does - and then have the ability to delete/remove that change. This can be in  it's own panel (e.g. the Find/Replace panel)

 

Inkedme-combine-files-csv-expanded-table-step_LI.jpg

 

3. Finally, think it should be possible for other persons to open the same document if put in a shared location (or uploaded to the Hub) and pick up from where you left off.

 

Tough requirements I know, but think this is becoming the norm for enterprise applications. Would be great if we could at least part of this working.

 

Best,
Tom

JohnPelletier
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)

@TomWelgemoed Thanks for the input. I didn't mean to specify git only...though that might be a good place to start. But I appreciate the perspective of someone who uses other enterprise tools that do this really well. We have really high expectations for our own products and I think you'll continue to see that in the future.

CristonS
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)
Status changed to: Not Planned

Thanks so much for all the feedback! As it stands, Server doesn't have capability to edit workflows, much less collaboratively like Office365, so that would be more a use case for Designer, but not in the near future; similarly for git integration. As Joe pointed out there are ways to diff workflows, using an app or command line process.

lwolfie
10 - Fireball
Status changed to: Under Review