bug on input tool? - when read Excel, merge field by position

[Pang_Hee_Choy]

desktop designer version - 2020.4 & 2022.1

i found that, input tool will merge excel field by position even header is not same,

if number of columns is same and data type is same.

did it a bug?

example:

File1: 

A	B	C
1	2	3

File2:

D	E	F
4	5	6

result:

A	B	C
1	2	3
4	5	6

Read file via input tool + dynamic input (error)

it have warning message(, but my thought is it skipped as well. 

Read files via by macro  (Correct)

[martinding]

Hi @Pang_Hee_Choy,

When you import the excel this way (using dynamic input), this is the expected behaviour, and not a bug.

Essentially, the tool is doing a union on all the imported excel workbooks, even if they have different schema.

If the excel workbooks have different schema, then a batch macro is needed.

For your reference, this article is a really good guide on which method to use and when to use them for importing multiple files:

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Desktop-Knowledge-Base/The-Ultimate-Input-Data-Flo...

This is also a great article:

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Desktop-Knowledge-Base/How-To-Import-Multiple-Exce...

[Pang_Hee_Choy]

@martinding I read both, but I cant find any doc/warn on the bug(nature) above. 

it counter-intuitive, as my thought, Alteryx design as align by field name unless in union tool/macro

as beginner will not use macro, so 

it eases to misleading beginner to build a workflow that may have wrong data due to same header but different position.