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Engine Works

Under the hood of Alteryx: tips, tricks and how-tos.
rpaugh
11 - Bolide

How does one automate that which cannot be automated?

 

We are in an information age.  An age where someone can monitor the security of their home and unlock their care from a mobile device; start streaming a movie at home, move to an iPad, and finish on a plane; and even blend, cleanse, and predict data with little or no data science knowledge.  And yet many, if not all of us, at some point have tried to gain access to data within our own organizations only to be met with the solution of “we can email you an Excel file”.  Really?!?  I can put money into my Starbucks account via my phone, and have Starbucks scan and recognize the payment, deduct the cost from my account and give me my bonus stars for the transaction, but the only solution you have to give me data is to email it to me?  Now is a good time to tell you something important about myself – I’m lazy.  I loathe manual, tedious, repetitive tasks.  I often joke with my coworkers that I’m going to automate everything I do so I can sit and watch YouTube all day.  In fact, were I to successfully automate myself out of a job I would consider that the single greatest accomplishment of my career.  As you can probably imagine, I was not willing to manually download and process Excel files each week.  Fortunately, I come from a software development background and was able to write code to extract attachments from Outlook emails and baked that into an SSIS package that ran weekly. 

 

Outlook Input toolOutlook Input toolFast forward a couple of years to Inspire 2017.  I was having breakfast before the opening keynote and I heard an Alteryx employee talking about using Alteryx to blend data from a file she receives from another department.  I had a hunch and asked her how she gets those files.  I stifled a literal “LOL” moment when she said she receives them via email.  I told her I had some code that might help her get to a fully automated solution.  Later in the conference I attended a session on using the Alteryx API and SDK.  I paid particularly close attention to the SDK portion because at the time I had no idea creating custom tools was even an option.  I know this is going to sound lame and cliché, but at that moment I was truly inspired to jump into code and build my own custom input tool to pull attachments out of Outlook emails.  I know, I know, too corny.  Moving on.  As a fantastic conference was coming to a close I just happened to spot one of the engineers, @JPKa,  who hosted the session on using the API and SDK at the closing reception.  I told him my idea and he pointed me in the right direction to get started.  Two weeks of personal time later I had  a solid version 1  of the tool and I shared it with my friends at Alteryx.

 

 

 

Working with the SDK

 

Outlook Input Tool ConfigurationOutlook Input Tool ConfigurationEverything I needed to get started was already installed with Alteryx Designer. I used a combination of reading through and interpreting the sample and the getting started documentation. Honestly, my first impression was confusion.  The sample project involves using an XML file containing Alteryx tool XML config information as an input to set the tool XML config information.  When it came to interpreting the code to understand how it was linking the xml config information to the input data I was often confused as to whether the xml components in question were part of the Alteryx configuration or the input tool that was providing the configuration.  Simply put, it was setting configuration from configuration. If anyone from Alteryx Product Management is reading this,  a better sample might be to pull dummy customer data from a .csv file and send it to an output stream.

 

My biggest obstacle was interpreting the sample code - figuring out how to separate the xml config as input from the xml config that was reading the input.  It makes perfect sense now, but when I was trying to understand the custom tool architecture and input file interpretation simultaneously for the first time I had some trouble.

 

 

Once I had a working tool I went back and forth with the folks at Alteryx and there were some limitations there with getting them the install and sharing attachments. I discovered I could wrap the install into a yxzp file and include instructions and a help file. JP was very helpful with identifying some of the nuances of working with the SDK and offered some suggestions on improving the tool. I needed to incorporate the "UpdateOnly" parameter because the C# code was executing every time a new tool was added to the canvas. I didn't know that the Alteryx Engine had a special feature where it runs the workflow (with no actual records other than metadata) every time a new tool is added.  

 

He also suggested I add some date filtering capability to the tool, allowing people to avoid downloading their entire inbox if they select “Inbox”.  For this I added a configuration element for the user to input a query string and included a link to the documentation to build the query.

 

 

 

Using the Outlook Input Tool

 

You may be tempted to point this sucker to your Inbox right out of the gate, and I don't know what your Inbox looks like, but if it looks anything like some of our testers, I'd advise against that. Play with your drafts folder or deleted items first.

 

You may find copying the search syntax from Outlook into the Query String helpful:

 

copy the query string from outlookcopy the query string from outlook

 

As for me, this is how I've been using the tool. In this example I filter out a specific Excel file and send it through a Dynamic Input tool to see the results. I'll leave it up to you to discover new and interesting ways to consume the files that you no longer have to manually fish out of your inboxes.

 

OutlookInputToolSample.png

 

 

giphy-downsized (2).gifBut wait, there’s more!  Act now and as a bonus you get the added message stream allowing you to perform any number of analytics on your email messages.  And if that isn’t enough, join the two streams together on Message ID for maximum analytical potential!!

 

 

 

 

What's included in the package

 

You'll find an Alteryx *.yxzp file attached to this post. When you open it in Alteryx Designer, you will see installation instructions:

 

Outlook Tools Install instructions.png

 

and a help file

 

Outlook Tools Install help file.png

 

The workflow is a single RunCommand tool that will install the Outlook Input tool. You can find my source code on Git Hub.

 

I hope you find the Outlook Input tool useful. This has been a fun and exciting project and I can't wait to see what creative ways the community finds to use this tool. Use the comments below to let me know your experience working with the tool.

 

UPDATE 8/1/2017:

A new version is available on the gallery: https://gallery.alteryx.com/#!app/Outlook-Tools-Install/597b35c2f499c716ec34a782.

 

Changes:

  • Implemented paging to prevent timeouts through the Exchange Web Services when working with large inboxes and complex filters.  Note: you still may need to adjust throttling settings on your server: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/jj945066(v=exchg.150).aspx.
  • Updated the installer to remove previously installed versions of the tools so it's not cluttering up your programs list.
Comments
rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@d208290 and @liliampumpernickle, I'm glad that worked for you.  I'm working on a new version of the tool that will hopefully not have this issue as it will utilize Alteryx's native installation process via yxi files.  

Skarnam
6 - Meteoroid

Trying tp pass a string to the 'Subject' as an input to the outlook tool to filer the emails with a specific subject. when the name in the subject contains & outlook is not able to return any data.Do you recommend any workaround for this issue. Example value abcd & xyz .

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@Skarnam, try "abdc & xyz" (as in literally include the quotes).  I just ran a test with the following literal query string and it worked for me:

  • subject:"Test & Other"
BPrior
6 - Meteoroid

@rpaugh I'm getting the following error message and I'm struggling to troubleshoot as the mailbox does exist and I have access to it. (Also when I set the tool to a make believe mailbox I get a completely different error message)

 

Error: OutlookInputTool (2): Mailbox does not exist.
ServiceResponseException
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceResponse.InternalThrowIfNecessary()
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MultiResponseServiceRequest`1.Execute()
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeService.FindItems(FolderId parentFolderId, String queryString, ViewBase view)
at OutlookTools.OutlookEmail.GetItemsFromFolder(ExchangeService service, Object folder, Boolean isRoot)
at OutlookTools.OutlookEmail.GetItems(Int64 recordLimit)
at OutlookTools.OutlookInputToolEngine.PI_PushAllRecords(Int64 nRecordLimit)
at SRC.Alteryx.GenericNetPluginInterface.PI_PushAllRecords(GenericNetPluginInterface* , Int64 nRecordLimit)

 

Are you able to assist? Also, do you have any recommendations on how to speed things up? It generally takes around 3-5 minutes to connect to each mailbox regardless of whether data is returned or not and we're looking to connect to between 50-60. I believe this may be security/firewall related?

 

To demonstrate this is the time taken for a flow connecting to the mailbox I'm having issues with and to a fake mailbox: End: Designer x64: Finished running in 7:20 minutes with 2 errors.

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

 hi @BPrior,

 

What is the account you're signed into the tool with vs. the account associated with the mailbox you're trying to reach?  Private message me if you do not wish to share that info here.  

 

Regarding speed, is the 3-5 minutes just for the connection (like when you click in/out of the tool) or from start of run to returning records?  If it's the latter then there may be an issue with too many items in the inbox - and if that's the case try adding as much filtering as you can to narrow the results returned as much as possible.

BPrior
6 - Meteoroid

Thanks for the quick reply. I don't seem to able to private message you, maybe due to work settings or being a brand new user on the community (Never needed to sign up/sign in until this particular issue). Pressing private message just brings up an almost blank screen. I will try again later if the below doesn't make sense or if we're not able to work it out from information provided publicly.

 

The accounts should be the same. As part of our reporting I have been given access to roughly 60 mailboxes in the company so I can run this (using the one account). All details are the same as the inputs are just copied & pasted and then the mailbox name changed. This is the only one I have seen this issue with. Our goal is just to capture all sent items from previous day up to current point in time. (Sent:yesterday..today)

 

The 3 minute initial time is just for the connection, see below:

 

Run on two fake mailboxes: End: Designer x64: Finished running in 7:20 minutes with 2 errors. (Avg 3.1 min per mailbox)

Run on two real mailboxes with 309 results: Designer x64 Finished running in 10:10 minutes (Avg 5.05 mins per mailbox)

Run on 14 mailboxes with 6100 results:  Designer x64 Finished running in 1:14 hours with 1 error and 17 warnings (Avg 5.2 mins per mailbox if discounting the time for union and output)

Skarnam
6 - Meteoroid

 

@rpaugh the below worked perfectly on the designer tool. But, when published to the Alteryx gallery I am not able to get the data using subject:"Test & Other" . Appreciate your quick response. 

 

 

@Skarnam, try "abdc & xyz" (as in literally include the quotes).  I just ran a test with the following literal query string and it worked for me:

  • subject:"Test & Other"
Skarnam
6 - Meteoroid

@rpaugh I think the issue is when using the workflow as analytical app. I am passing the value using a text input tool and in the actions I selected the option update with formula.

 

 see below for the formula used.

"Subject: " + "[#1]" . I put the double quotes  for [#1]. Where [#1] gets the input value Test & Other.

 

"Subject: " + "[#1]" is used in the query string. if I hardcode the value "Subject: " + "Test & Other"  in the query string it works. But, if I replace the query string to "Subject: " + "[#1]" it does not work.

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

Hi @Skarnam, you just need to place quotes around the subject if it's complex (e.g. when it includes special characters like "&").

 

Here's a working example I just tested and the associated output from the analytical app:

 

Alteryx Outlook Tool - Subject Filter Example 1.png

 

Without the quotes, the system thinks you're inputting "Subject: Test & Other", which Exchange translates to "anything containing the subject 'Test' and also containing 'Other' somewhere in the content".

Skarnam
6 - Meteoroid

@rpaugh using double quotes worked. Thanks.

Skarnam
6 - Meteoroid

@rpaugh I am getting below error connecting to a different mail box. Can you tell me what could be the issue?

 

Below is the error:

Start: Designer x64: Started running at 01/14/2019 14:03:50
Info: OutlookInputTool (1): 9223372036854775807
Error: OutlookInputTool (1): Exchange Server doesn't support the requested version.
ServiceVersionException
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceRequestBase.ProcessWebException(WebException webException)
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceRequestBase.GetEwsHttpWebResponse(IEwsHttpWebRequest request)
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceRequestBase.ValidateAndEmitRequest(IEwsHttpWebRequest& request)
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MultiResponseServiceRequest`1.Execute()
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeService.FindFolders(FolderId parentFolderId, SearchFilter searchFilter, FolderView view)
at OutlookTools.OutlookEmail.GetItems(Int64 recordLimit)
at OutlookTools.OutlookInputToolEngine.PI_PushAllRecords(Int64 nRecordLimit)
at SRC.Alteryx.GenericNetPluginInterface.PI_PushAllRecords(GenericNetPluginInterface* , Int64 nRecordLimit)
End: Designer x64: Finished running in 0.4 seconds with 1 error

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@Skarnam, I'm seeing the error "Exchange Server doesn't support the requested version", which tells me that the mailbox you're trying to reach is actually on a lower version of Exchange than you have selected.  Try lowering the Exchange version in the tool configuration and let me know if that fixes it.

Skarnam
6 - Meteoroid

@rpaugh i am getting the same error irrespective the Exchange server version i use.

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@Skarnam weird.  What version of Exchange is the problem mailbox on?

Skarnam
6 - Meteoroid

@rpaugh The exchange version is  

Exchange 2013 CU 15

 

It's a Cumulative update 

sgopinath
7 - Meteor

@rpaugh

 

Good morning!

 

Any thoughts/ideas on how to save every email from an outlook folder as a file on a shared drive? Thank you!

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@sgopinath, you mean like a PDF representation of the email or all of the content in something like an Excel file?  If you select all the fields you want for output, there are a variety of out-of-the-box Alteryx tools you can use to write the content to various file formats and locations.  Now, if the issue is in how to get all emails out of a folder, you should be able to enter the folder name in the "Sub-Folder Name" field, check the box for "Skip Root Folder Search", and leave the Query String field blank.  This should extract all emails from the folder.

sgopinath
7 - Meteor

@rpaugh - I was thinking about each individual email as a .msg file or a PDF file. I have a folder with about 150 emails- I was able to access the details of the emails through the tool you built but need to upload each individual email to another system as 'file' evidence. 

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@sgopinath, unless anybody else monitoring this blog has any better ideas, you could try selecting all of the fields and using Alteryx's report tools to output PDFs to your shared drive.  The tool itself won't spit out entire messages as a "file".  Hope that helps.

sgopinath
7 - Meteor

Thanks @rpaugh ; will see if others have any thoughts.

 

As an FYI, I tried to attach the emails to an item and ran the tool by specifying the 'Save Attachments to' option.. but it did not pick up the email attachments. All other file types seem to work.. JPGs, PNGs, XLS' etc.,

Skarnam
6 - Meteoroid

@rpaugh The exchange version is  

Exchange 2013 CU 15

 

It's a Cumulative update . Do you think this version is supported by outlook input tool?

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@Skarnam, that version should be supported.  Try selecting only Id for output and see if that works.  Maybe there's an unsupported field you're selecting that I overlooked.

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@sgopinath, ah I see what you're saying.  The tool doesn't currently support that, but I'll look into it for the new version.

pk_dev
5 - Atom

@rpaugh, thanks for this wonderful tool that will help with what we are looking to achieve with Alteryx.

 

I did the installation and was able to run it successfully, but it doesn't any data from my email account. No error message while running the workflow but says '0' records selected. I tried changing the parameters, folders, etc. Do you happen to see this issue before by any chance?

 

 

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

Hi @pk_dev ,

 

No, I have not encountered that issue before.  I do have one question for you though: are you using POP3 to retrieve your email from the server?  If so then the emails you're trying to access no longer exist on the mail server that the Outlook tool is connecting to, which is why you're seeing zero results.

pk_dev
5 - Atom

Hello @rpaugh, thanks for your response. I wasn't sure how to identify if I'm using the POP3 to retrieve my emails from the exchange server? is there a way to identify that from the configurations of the outlookinput tool. This is what I did after downloading the latest version of the tool from the Analytics gallery, Please let me know if I've missed any steps after downloading the tool or in the configuration settings. thank you.

 

1. Ran the executable file by opening the workflow in Alteryx

2. Dragged the OutlookInputTool into the Canvas from the 'Connectors' toolbox

3. Provided the configuration for my company's exchange server as suggested, please see the configuration settings below and I've used the 'Outbox' folder for testing. hope this helps.

4. Ran the workflow that fetched 0 records with no error messages as you can see in the image below.

 

 

Alt_Outlook_Tool_Config.PNG

 

 

Alt_Outlook_Tool_Config_Messages.PNG

 

 

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@pk_dev, First: try un-checking the "Skip Root Folder Search" button just to make sure that it's not trying to look for a sub-folder in your Outbox (you'll have to check "Include Sub-Folder" to activate it, then un-check again).

 

Second: here's a resource for setting up POP3 in your email client.  It's for version 2016, but I think the settings are close enough to 2010 that you should be able to get where you need to go.  If you notice that you are set up for POP3, be sure to follow the steps for advanced setup which expose the following setting that you'll want to make sure is checked:

 

Outlook POP3 Config.png

 

One more thing: be sure to follow up with your IT team to make sure that they're okay with you doing this.  If they've set up your email client to remove content from the server then they may be concerned with server storage and not let you leave copies there.

blyons
11 - Bolide

Is there any trick to getting this to work in Alteryx Server/Gallery?

 

I have a workflow that downloads calendar items from an office365 account via https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx which works fine on my desktop. I installed the tool on the Server, and can see it in the Connectors group in Designer on the Server. But when I run the same workflow in Designer, I get:

Error: OutlookInputTool (1): The request failed. The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send.
ServiceRequestException
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceRequestBase.GetEwsHttpWebResponse(IEwsHttpWebRequest request)
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceRequestBase.ValidateAndEmitRequest(IEwsHttpWebRequest& request)
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MultiResponseServiceRequest`1.Execute()
at Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeService.FindItems(FolderId parentFolderId, String queryString, ViewBase view)
at OutlookTools.OutlookEmail.GetItemsFromFolder(ExchangeService service, Object folder, Boolean isRoot)
at OutlookTools.OutlookEmail.GetItems(Int64 recordLimit)
at OutlookTools.OutlookInputToolEngine.PI_PushAllRecords(Int64 nRecordLimit)
at SRC.Alteryx.GenericNetPluginInterface.PI_PushAllRecords(GenericNetPluginInterface* , Int64 nRecordLimit)

 

When I publish the workflow to the Gallery and run it from my Private Studio, I get the same error.

 

Any assistance would be appreciated.

bor2b00
6 - Meteoroid

I am not able to successfully install the tool on Alteryx Server 2018.4. I installed Office 365 on the server but still unable to see the Outlook tool in the Connector Tool group. I can see the tool in Windows Programs and the install flow finishes with no errors - just cannot see the Outlook tool in the Connector group so I can drag it to the canvas. The goal is to publish flows that use the Outlook tool to the Alteryx server and run them from the Company Gallery. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

JMoore
8 - Asteroid

@rpaugh & @bor2b00 I have the same issue for one of our guys who upgraded to 2018.4, I haven't pulled the Git hub work yet but was going to check that first unless it is an install path issue.

bor2b00
6 - Meteoroid

JMoore - thanks for the comment - your mentioning the install path made me think I was probably accepting the default C:\Program Files\Alteryx and I needed to change the drive letter to D:\ because that is where I installed Alteryx server. This resolved my issue and I can now see the tool in the Connector tool group. Thank you for the comment!

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@blyons is your Exchange Server set up to allow connections from your Alteryx server?  It almost sounds like Exchange is either denying the connection, or the Alteryx Server cannot access Exchange's web services via your network.

blyons
11 - Bolide

@rpaugh Thank you for your reply. We installed Outlook on the server, and it connects fine. I also successfully connected via PowerShell from the server using the instructions at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/exchange/exchange-online/connect-to-exchange-online-powe....

 

Next steps?

BPrior
6 - Meteoroid

Thanks for your support @rpaugh

 

The issues with the 1 mailbox was because IT had stored it on an On-Premises server and not onto Office 365 like every other mailbox! :) 

Speed issues have been resolved as mentioned previously.

 

A couple more questions if you or someone experienced with the tool can assist:

 

1. We have one mailbox where all folder names are in Italian. Unable to pull anything with the tool. Will the language be affecting this or would the stuff in the background still be in English and it's actually a separate issue at work here?

 

2. More of an Alteryx question than an Outlook Tool question: We currently capture a lot of Inboxes and use a union tool & block til done to grab stuff from an Alteryx database as well as our Outlook Tools and update the database. If any of the Outlook Tools return an error (which they occasionally do) the whole flow fails due to how Union and Block Til Done are working. What's the best practice to get around this?

blyons
11 - Bolide

@rpaugh I just realized that I may not have been clear in my post on Friday. I tried those things (Outlook and PowerShell) on our Alteryx Server, which worked fine, but the Outlook Input tool for Alteryx still does not work on our Alteryx Server. I am at a loss how email connections work fine from Server, and the tool works fine on my machine, but the same workflow that works fine on my machine will not work on Server. What else can I try?

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@blyons are you using autodiscover or manual service url?  I found a forum post where someone mentioned that the external url returned by the server had a typo in it.  Try switching between autodiscover and manual service url, verify that the url is correct, and let me know if you still get the same error.

 

You could also try the following to see if we can pinpoint the error: https://practical365.com/exchange-server/exchange-2013-test-outlook-web-service/

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@BPrior that could be a difference between the regional settings of the mailbox the region from which you're connecting (from your exchange account properties).  Just curious, what happens if you search for those folders in an Outlook client?  Do they come up there?

jawein
6 - Meteoroid

Thank you for this awesome tool. I have a slight variation on the typical attachment issue, the file is linked to in the body of the email. I thought I could just pull the text out of the email body and run it through the download tool, but when I try to pull the email body with this tool it is truncated. Does anyone know how I can get the full text to pull through?

JMoore
8 - Asteroid

JMoore
8 - Asteroid

And as @bor2b00 stated my colleague resolved the issue by re-installing Alteryx as he did the update software selection which resulted in two Alteryx version being installed and the Outlook tool being only seen in the prior version due to the pathing issue.

jawein
6 - Meteoroid

@JMoore Yes. In the browse tool it is giving an error that says : "This cell has embedded new lines and >256 characters"  It seems like the email body text should be able to handle both of these conditions by default. Is there some setting I can change? I cannot find it in the tool interface.

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@jawein are you able to see more content when you double-click in the cell to view it's contents in the detail window?  

jawein
6 - Meteoroid

yes.

rohan_tibarewala
9 - Comet

Truly Brilliant !!! 

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

Hello everyone,

 

I received the official announcement that the C# SDK upon which this tool is built is being deprecated at the end of this year.  As a result, I will no longer be providing bug fixes, enhancements, or other updates.  But worry not for I've been working on rebuilding this tool using Alteryx's HTML/JS SDK and the public beta is now live and ready for your review and feedback!!!  This is perfect timing because it gives us almost a year to test out the new tool and ensure it's just as great (hopefully better) than the C# version.  If you'd wish to participate, head over to the public gallery, run the workflow to get to the information page, click the download link, install, and go.  Please post any issues/feedback on this blog so it's all in one place and everyone can see what we're all working on.  If you're encountering an issue that may involve information you do not wish to share with the group you may still send me private messages.  

 

This is on the information page in the gallery, but I'm going to say it here as well: there is a bug with the autodiscover service (at least for me).  For whatever reason I'm getting multiple potential endpoints, not all of which work, so instead of picking the good one it just fails.  This may be because I'm testing with a "live.com" account and not a true full-fledged Exchange server so it may work for all of you.  Whether it does work for you or not, I'd like to know.  I'm still trying to troubleshoot this and fix it asap.  In the meantime, using a manual service URL DOES work, and works more quickly than autodiscover actually, so you should all really be using this method anyway if you can.

 

I don't have a finite timeline for the beta, so it will probably continue until the feedback tapers off significantly (or the only feedback I get is "it works"), at which point I will incorporate all the feedback I can and release a production version.  After that, I will continue to incorporate other suggested features/improvements that may still be outstanding from this blog into future releases.

 

Thank you everyone in advance for your support and patience!

 

That's it.  Now go forth and solve :) !!!

 

Rick

JMoore
8 - Asteroid

Hi @rpaugh ,

 

This is exciting news, are you going to put this up on Github as well? can you set the workflow to be able to be downloaded off of Alteryx as I am blocked from Google drive.

A_Ribeiro
6 - Meteoroid

Hi @rpaugh, thank you so much for this valuable tool, I used to run Access extracts in order to populate a database. This saves time a lot of time, and JS beta version has been running fine on 2018.3, not sure on Exchange version, as it works from 2013 through 2016 with the tool.

 

I don't know if I can ask for help here, but I'm trying to accomplish 2 new tasks:

 

1) I can't seem to find the "save attachments to" option in the JS tool, i have attached a few snippets of my settings, but I can't see any filepath containing the attachments. Dynamic input does not seem to allow me much without it. If you could provide a working workflow it would be great (not sure if this depends on my version)

 

2) I would like to have this tool run in our server, any special recommendations regarding that?

 

Thanks once again for the time and effort, I will definetly spread the word about this in my organization.

 

 

attachment filter and outputattachment filter and outputgeneral settingsgeneral settings

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@JMoore I'm working on a way to get this set up for you to download and will get back to you asap.

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@A_Ribeiro I'm glad you like the tool.

 

1) You are correct, there is no "Save Attachments To" option anymore.  The reason for this is that the tool sends the attachment data directly to the output stream as a blob.  You can use a blob convert or blob output tool to work with the data or create a file respectively.  Here's a sample where I write the csv attachment to a new csv file:

 

Alteryx Outlook Input - Blob Output Example.png

 

This provides you with much more flexibility over how you wish to name your outgoing files and/or manipulate the data prior to writing it out somewhere.

 

2)  For the server, you just need to make sure that it's installed under an account that can see the tool.  For example, if you log in as yourself to install the tool, but your scheduler runs on the computer/service account then the scheduler won't be able to see it.

rpaugh
11 - Bolide

@JMoore here's the GitHub repository.  I believe you can just download the project as a zip, change the extension to "yxi", and run it to install into Alteryx.