The Boston Alteryx User Group started 2023 with a bang as it held its kickoff meeting at Bentley University. The event was attended by members eager to learn about the latest trends in Alteryx!
One highlight of the event was crowning our Alteryx competition winner, Henryk Jankowski. He wowed the crowd with his findings and personal anecdotes using Alteryx, showcasing the platform's versatility and usefulness in data analytics. Thanks Henryk for sharing your experiences with Alteryx and hope you enjoy your swag!! Follow and connect with Henryk (hjankowski) on community.
Luis Gonzales, shared about the Global Advocacy programs at Alteryx and Alteryx Innovators. Luis shared that leaving a review at G2.com could win you a $25 gift card (For the first 20 respondents). Both programs encompass some of the most innovative and successful Alteryx clients engaging in both case studies, featured videos, and media outreach. Members will get access to perks such as VIP access to Alteryx features/roadmaps, swag, and special access to exclusive events at Inspire.
We also learned from a representative of Alteryx that Alteryx Server is going to the cloud! This new feature is designed to make workflows easier to transfer from on-premise to the cloud. This not only validates Alteryx's hybrid model but makes it easier to replicate work on-premise. Look out for updates in the coming months!
Our keynote speakers included Anthony Chamberas and Tessa Hauck giving presentations on both DBT and Alteryx.
Anthony's presentation was on analytic engineering in DBT. He explained how DBT is an application that defines a query and pushes code down to a pre-defined database. The execution of the code is done at the database level, so users don't need to worry about data coming out of the database or coming into the cloud. Anthony demonstrated the tool in action by showing the code it generates by combining data sources then running a decision tree model to forecast solar generation, using data from his home's Powerwall. He noted that users can commit their changes to Git and create a pull request for review. DBT allows users to reuse models in code by referencing other models, and it integrates SQL and Python code together. Anthony also highlighted that DBT automatically documents the data pipeline, produces documents that define the SQL queries and Python code, encourages collaboration among data teams, and is CI/CD enabled.
Tessa, discussed educational paths for people who want to work in data analytics. She started by talking about her background, which includes working in various industries, including theater and the funeral industry. Tessa emphasized the importance of having a varied and colorful background, as it allows you to use both the creative and analytical portions of your brain. She then focused on two key considerations when choosing an educational path - employment rates and median income. Tessa used Alteryx, to import data from the US Department of Education and analyze it for insights. She highlighted the importance of clean data and documentation to get fast and accurate insights. Tessa acknowledged that there are many educational options available, but people should consider their personal satisfaction, what they want to do in the future, and what type of degree they want to pursue.
Here is the recording:
Thanks again to our attendees, speakers, and content creators! We have attached the slide deck. We will be re-convening in a couple of months to showcase our Q2 meetup, so stay tuned for updates on that :). If you are interested in presenting your work, how Alteryx has transformed your department or career, or just some cool things you've done, please reach out to your Alteryx co-leaders ( FIGBOS, JoyG, & JoshuaM).
See you next time! 😎
