If you are attending virtually, on the day of the event, join here: https://community-alteryx.zoom.us/j/94795779547?pwd=1z4J8cBt5Hhb5mSzH6CcwLZLhHgpjE
We will be meeting in a hybrid format so for those joining in-person, meet us at Urban Park Roof Garden!
When: Tuesday, June 25 Time: 6 pm - 7:30 pm Where: Urban Park Roof Garden
325 Main St, Cambridge, MA Virtual: Zoom Come join us for after work refreshments, networking, and to learn from the best in the Alteryx Community! Register on the top right to save your spot!
Agenda:
6:00 to 6:15pm: Welcome and refreshments
6:15 to 6:45pm: Will Cogswell: Business Intelligence Data Analyst, Staples
- Automated Market Comparison: Overcoming Challenges
6:45 to 7:15pm: Jose Arevalo : Analytics Manager, Data Prep U
- Mastering PDF Data Extraction in Alteryx
A Zoom link is provided which will be visible after registering on the top right.
Directions to Urban Park Roof Garden:
Urban Park is located at 325 Main St right next to the Kendall/MIT T station
Upon arriving at the location you should see the Google headquarters.
There are two entrances, if you walk into the building go towards the parking garage and use the elevators to go to the top floor
From the side if you are facing Clover food labs. Walk to the right where there will be a set of stairs. Take the stairs to the rooftop garden.
Please reach out if you experience any issues.
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The Boston Alteryx Group convened on June 25th at Urban Park in Cambridge to hear from speakers Jose Arevalo (Data Prep U) and Will Cogswell (Staples). Jose took the audience through a Masterclass of PDF extraction while Will took us through how to nail your next Market Comparison report. Below is a recap of both presentations with the recording attached. Please note that due to confidentiality Will's presentation was not fully recorded but we capture his wrap-up and common pain-points/questions.
Jose Arevalo - Data Prep U
Mastering PDF Data Extraction in Alteryx
Jose Ivalo, an analytics consultant with 10 years of experience, presented on automating workflows using PDF tools in Alteryx. He focused on three main tools: image input, image template, and image to text. These tools allow users to load images (including PDFs), configure data extraction, and extract text from the images. Jose emphasized that working with PDFs can be challenging and requires a more artistic approach, similar to fuzzy matching or regular expressions. He discussed practical applications across various industries, including finance, healthcare, retail, and logistics. Jose then demonstrated two live examples: extracting data from invoices and from a 10-K report. He explained the process of loading and viewing images in Alteryx, noting that PDFs are treated as images in this context. Jose also addressed challenges such as dealing with scanned PDFs and varying invoice layouts from multiple vendors, suggesting techniques like overlapping annotations and creating templates for each vendor to streamline the process.
Here are some additional links :
https://www.dataprepu.com/overview
https://www.bigmarker.com/dataprepu/Data-Prep-U-How-To-Precision-Data-Parsing-via-Alteryx-Regular-Expressions?utm_bmcr_source=Newsletter
Note that the webinar concluded but you can use the link to access the recording
Will Cogswell - Staples
Market Comparison Report
The presentation focused on a key initiative within Staples' Revenue Management organization, specifically targeting the Sales Support team's processes. This team regularly handles requests from Sales Representatives seeking detailed financial analyses for customers, including quarterly performance, contract specifics, product substitution opportunities, and market comparisons. Recognizing that these reports, while customer-specific, often follow similar creation processes, Staples has identified an opportunity for improvement. As part of their 2024 goals, the company aims to automate the report generation process. This automation initiative is designed to streamline operations, reducing the time analysts spend on repetitive tasks. The ultimate objective is to allow analysts more time to deeply understand the reports and provide valuable insights, enhancing the overall quality and impact of their work.
Roadmap Q3 & Q4
August 20th - Industrious (Boston Copley)
October 15th - Boston University Center of Computing & Data Sciences (Commonwealth Avenue)
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Hey Boston,
We have a few events that we are scheduling for the remainder of the year and would love some help. If you love Alteryx (like we do ♡) and want to help in the organization and delivery of events around Boston, let us know. Please reach out with your availability (i.e. Part time, Full time, Adhoc) and we'll take it from there.
Appreciate it in advance and look forward to connecting,
Josh
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Have you been to Inspire? If you haven't, now is the time!
Whether it will be your first time or not, don't let this opportunity slip away. We have a special code for all our User Group members!
Use Inspire24UserGroup for a 25% discount! Register here! On top of being a conference to level up your problem-solving skills with analytics automation and AI, this year we brought back Free Alteryx Certification at Inspire. Yes, you read right: Registered conference attendees can take the exams on-site for no additional cost.
Enjoy an immersive learning experience as you make new memories and lifelong connections.
Let me know if you have any questions! You can reply to this post on the comments section below, send me a private message, or email me directly at flavia.brancato@alteryx.com.
I can't wait to see you in Vegas! Flávia Brancato Global Program Manager
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The BAUG started Q1 at Bentley University on the rainiest of rainy days. However, we were able to illuminate the evening with presentations from the co-leaders, @MadisonD , and @pierrejn.
Spark Notes - Prescriptive Tools
We started the meeting with a business use case using the Optimization Tool. The speaker demonstrated the functionalities of the tool which can be found in the prescriptive tool palette. This tool is specifically designed to tackle optimization problems, or situations where you need to find the best possible solution out of various alternatives under certain constraints. The presentation started with an overview of the types of optimization models. Choosing the right model based on the problem which you are trying to solve. Practical applications and setting up the tool. And ultimately how to understand the output.
Mentor Connect Powered by SPARKED
We then passed the mic over to Madison, who walked use through the mentorship program within SparkED. Madison is a SparkED program specialist with a diverse set of community achievements as well as an affinity for mentorship. Madison introduced the mentorship program which aims to bridge the gap between aspiring learners and experienced professionals within the Alteryx community. The program is designed around three core areas: career guidance, personalized mentorship, and project-based insights, particularly emphasizing the use of Alteryx Designer and analytics in real-world scenarios. This initiative welcomes participants from diverse backgrounds, including students, career changers, and veterans, to engage in valuable one-on-one connections with mentors from various industries and expertise areas. Through an interactive platform, mentees can pinpoint mentors who align with their academic and career aspirations, specifying their goals and interests. The program encourages active participation from both mentees and mentors, offering resources to facilitate meaningful and productive interactions aimed at fostering professional growth and skill development.
Alteryx Best Practices
Last but certainly not least, James gave his presentation. James focused on tips and best practices in Alteryx. James gained recognition in his company by adhering to the practices he shared.
James is an experienced tax manager with a half-decade of Alteryx experience. He first highlighted the significant demand in the industry for individuals skilled in Alteryx. Leveraging Alteryx expertise can give job applicants a competitive edge, especially in fields that value data analytics capabilities. James shared several best practices for using Alteryx more efficiently, emphasizing the importance of workflow organization to tackle complex data projects. He detailed techniques like color coding, utilizing comments and annotations for clarity, and taking advantage of the text input tool for embedding essential data directly into workflows. Furthermore, James discussed the practicality of maintaining organized folders for managing workflow elements and introduced the concept of workflow dependencies for easier collaboration and sharing of assets with others. These practices not only streamline the personal use of Alteryx but also enhance the share-ability and understanding of workflows among teams and across projects. James's guidance serves as both an introduction to Alteryx's utility and an advanced strategy for optimizing the use of this powerful analytical tool in professional settings.
Attached you will find the master deck, resources and recording. Hope to see you at the next one!
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