Engine Works

Under the hood of Alteryx: tips, tricks and how-tos.
Rob_McFadzean
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)

Grand Prix Drivers

Well, another year down and another fantastic Inspire conference under our belts. This year we had a record turnout, which was no easy feat. The success of the conference was measured across all departments and we are all grateful to have such brilliant and loyal customers. Some of the things they are doing with our software are truly inspiring.

 

One of the biggest events at Inspire 2013 was the 5th annual Alteryx Grand Prix. If you are unfamiliar, the Alteryx Grand Prix showcases Alteryx power users solving real world business problems in record time using the Alteryx Designer Desktop. This year ten power users and a total of six hot seat contestants raced to complete the challenges in less than one hour.  This year, we had three rounds consisting of data manipulation, predictive analytics, and reporting.  These rounds were carefully constructed by a team of Alteryx associates with the idea that they could truly showcase how Alteryx can simplify and streamline difficult or large projects.

 

This year we added a bit of a curve ball by including the predictive element to the contest.  The business problem was as follows:

 

Chris Love

Our grocery store chain has 85 locations in Southern California, and we have recently acquired 10 new sites in Northern California. The 85 existing stores all have the same layout. They stock roughly the same quantities of the same goods in the same departments. We can use Predictive Analytics to determine new arrangements for our new stores that better meet the needs of our customers. For example, stores where customers are likely to spend more on produce and less on meat should devote more floor space to produce and less to meat.  All 10 new stores could be identical, like those in Southern California, or we could build up to 5 different layouts. When this challenge is complete, we should know how many types of stores make sense, and which type should be built at each of the new Northern California locations.

 

Not only did the contestants complete the task at hand, they smashed all expectations in regards to time to successfully complete the app.  In the end though, there can be only one victor.  This year, Experian’s Chris Love took home the Grand Prix Cup, along with the top prize of a trip for two to Las Vegas.  Coming in second place (by only 1 point!) was Brian Hawkins from LS Direct Marketing, and third was Jarrod Thuener from Kristalytics.   Erin Ball, Geri LaRose, Scott Enochson, Andy Verostek, Andrew Komaromy, John Hollingsworth, and Gregory Hall round out the rest of this year’s drivers. 

 

Brian Hawkins

Finally, a huge thank you and congratulations goes out to all of our contestants, hot seat drivers, and associates for a job well done.  If you would like to download the Designer Desktop app, please visit the full solution on the Alteryx Public Gallery.  We hope to see you next year!