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When a question about Alteryx Designer pops into my head, I need to resolve it, by searching the Alteryx Community Pages, or using Google with "Alteryx" as the 1st keyword, and the other keywords from the question I’m looking for and both ways return me to the Alteryx Community pages.
For me to remember what I found, I copied it out and placed it in my personal notes in Outlook, then I moved them a Microsoft Teams site in my company, and now I’m sharing them with you. The path I took to find this information was difficult and I was so excited to find that solution, I didn’t save a bookmark or link to the solution in most cases.
In a time-crunch situation this collection has been very valuable to me. In lieu of a meeting this month I have been asked to present this collection to you.
User Running the Workflow
GetEnvironmentVariable("USERNAME")
Useful in knowing who is running the Workflow when run with several users and write out the User and Time they did a critical step like deleting records from an Alteryx Database file.
Default Alteryx Path
Admin Install Version: C:\Program Files\Alteryx\
Non-Admin Install Version: C:\Users\<USERID>\AppData\Roaming\Alteryx\
Alteryx GUI and Engine Error Logs
C:\ProgramData\Alteryx\ErrorLogs
\AlteryxEngine
\AlteryxGUI
Alteryx Locations on your computer
Non-Admin version: C:\Users\<USERID>\AppData\Local\Alteryx\
Admin Version: C:\Programs Files\Alteryx\
Tool Icon Images Location
C:\Users<[USERID]>\AppData\Local\Alteryx\bin\RuntimeData\HtmlAssets\help.alteryx.com\AlteryxCurrent\en\images\
Sub Folder Names:
"AssistedModeling"
"Category_Icons"
"Drivetime"
"Examples"
"GettingStarted"
"Tool Icons
"UI Icons"
Most interesting ones for me:
The images in "Category_Icons" are too small to use as a base for your Macro Icon but could be useful in your documentation.
The images in "Tool_Icon" come in 3 sizes, 41x41, 71x71, but the one without the size in filename is the right size for your Macro base image.
The images in "UI _Icons" all the same tiny parts of Alteryx Designer and you can discover the name of all these Icons like 
Location of the Expression saved by you in the "Formula" tool.
Can be found in the Registry where you can change how many you can save.
Expression list of the last 10 are stored in the following Registry Key:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SRC\Alteryx\4.0\Exp
Use the program "regedit" to view the Registry, from the DOS Command window. You should be able to Change the "SavNum" Data value of 0; which means 10 to like maybe 100.
Found this information on the Alteryx Community Pages.
Visual Query Builder list of Tables
Are located in this folder: C:\Users<USERID>\AppData\Roaming\Alteryx\VQBCache\
There is one file for each Database connection, and you press the "Refresh" button, Alteryx Designer updates or creates a new file here. Inside the file is just a list of tables, but you can add the "as" SQL keyword to rename you table. Like this example of a before table name DB.ACTS and after DB.ACTS as Accounts
Visually Show the differences between two versions of a Workflow
"C:\Program Files"\Alteryx\bin\AlteryxGui.exe /diff [FileName1] [FileName2]
You Need to be in the DOS Command Window, and easier to enter the Workflows if you change(cd) to the workflow’s location.
Send Alteryx Designer Stats to your Alteryx Server.
C:\Users<USERID>\AppData\Local\Alteryx\bin\RuntimeData\RuntimeSettings.xml
(Open Properties first and then Remove the "Read Only" check mark.)
Point it to your Alteryx Server by adding the following URL to the PhoneHomeUrl element like in the following:
<Designer>
<PhoneHomeUrl> https:YourAlteryxServerName</PhoneHomeUrl>
<SaveToGalleryEnabled>True</SaveToGalleryEnabled>
<ManageGalleriesEnabled>True</ManageGalleriesEnabled>
<ConnectIntegration>True</ConnectIntegration>
</Designer>
Supporting Macros
Supporting Macros used in a parent workflow should be present with the parent macro or in a supporting directory and named as such as:
NameOfParent.NameOfSupporting.yxmc
Temporary Directory
Files written to this folder, are automatically delete when your Alteryx Workflow Ends.
Use %Engine.TempFilePath% when used in a Tool’s Configuration for a File but when it’s in a Formula it’s [Engine.TempFilePath]
And on an Alteryx Server that path becomes the Workflow's own folder.
Metadata in Alteryx Designer
Results Window
In the Result window there two options, Data and Metadata, they switch the view of the results from actual data, and then in the mode Metadata shows only File Name, File Type, Length, and Description.
Tools
"Select"
File Type, Size, and Description are shown, and those values can be changed.
"Field Info"
Shown under the Category of "Developer", and shows same Metadata: File Name, File Type, Length, and Description. The "Field Info" tool returns these Metadata fields:
- Name
- Type
- Size
- Scale
- Source
- Description
"Basic Data Profile"
Shown under the Category of "Data Investigation" returns the same information from the tools above but includes other Metadata fields like these:
- Name
- Data Type
- Size
- Source
- Description
- Nulls
- Non-Nulls
- Blanks
- Values with Leading Whitespace
- Values with Trailing Whitespace
- Values with Both Whitespace
- Average Length
- Longest Length
- Longest Value
- Shortest (Non-Blank) Length
- Shortest Value
- Minimum
- Maximum
- Uniques
- Unique Values
Saved Data Connection
Saved Data Connections can be recognized by the aka: at the beginning of the Connection String. They include all connections the user created through Options > Advanced Options > Manage Data Connections as well as Oracle and SQL Server connections created through the "Quick Connect" option.
Saved Data Connections are saved in XML files on the user's machine with passwords encrypted.
Folder: C:\Users\[USERID]\AppData\Roaming\Alteryx\Engine
Filename: UserAlias.xml
Filename: UserConnections.xml (In-DB)
Alteryx Download Location
AlteryxConnect32.exe Not Found
When installing Alteryx Designer, you might get this error message, but just press the "Ignore" button and continue on. AlteryxConnect32.exe is used to connect to 32-Bit Data Sources.
Rounding
To round to 2 decimal places use ".01" in the Round Function for the 2nd Parameter.
Creating Your 1st Macro
Tool Stacking
