Alteryx ETS time series tool with custom frequency - BUG/Error?

[IraWatt]

Hey all,

I was looking at the ETS tool today. My data is split into 13 periods in a year so I thought I would set the frequency to other. 

I also want to force the tool to create an additive seasonal model:

This creates this error:

ETS (107) ETS: Error in ets(y = Bookings, model = "ZZA", damped = NULL, lambda = NULL, :
ETS (107) ETS: Execution halted
ETS (107) Tool #40: Tool #6: No valid fields were selected.
ETS (107) Tool #41: Tool #6: No valid fields were selected.
ETS (107) Tool #42: Tool #6: No valid fields were selected.
ETS (107) Tool #43: Tool #6: No valid fields were selected.
ETS (107) ETS: The R.exe exit code (1) indicated an error.

The workflow I am showing is the example ETS workflow in Alteryx. 

I suspect the issue is it needs a parameter for the frequency of the time series. Any ideas on this are greatly appreciated 😄! 

[Armon24]

Hi @IraWatt 

I believe you are correct. There needs to be some sort of Target Field Frequency attached to the dataset. This goes hand in hand with the Other Options tab in the Configuration, where you are selecting the starting period and how many periods to forecast 

[IraWatt]

Hey @Armon24,

Thanks for the feedback. Looking at the other options tab it still seems to error no matter what you put in the periods to forecast: 

[Armon24]

Hey @IraWatt 

Since the sample data is split up in months, I made the Target Field Frequency Monthly. Thus, the month of the series start needs to be between 1-12 (12 months in a year). After that is set, the periods to forecast should be ready for whatever amount you need. 

[IraWatt]

@Armon24 ah my data is split into 13 periods (of a year), I was just using the sample data to showcase the error. This is why I selected 'Other' not 'Monthly' in the configuration. I know there is seasonality so I selected model type additive seasonal which creates the error above.