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Alteryx Designer Desktop Discussions

Find answers, ask questions, and share expertise about Alteryx Designer Desktop and Intelligence Suite.

Import xlsx double column as string

wonka1234
10 - Fireball

In my excel file my column is a general format.

 

I have various values in this column , ie:

 

Field
0
FY21DP
FY22DP
FY20DP
Y
FYDP22
FY 22DP
FY22DP (Y)
Yes

 

why is this being read in as a double? Can I read it in as a string without doing anything to the excel workbook?

10 REPLIES 10
Felipe_Ribeir0
16 - Nebula

Hi @wonka1234 

 

Can you share the input file/workflow? Here using just what you pasted, it is being interpreted as string (as expected):

 

Felipe_Ribeir0_0-1668525075192.png

 

Sebastiaandb
12 - Quasar

@wonka1234 ,

 

It's read as a double since the first value is a "0". You can alter it just by adding a select tool after it OR by importing it from a row after the first one :-).

EDIT -> My thinking is wrong. As @Felipe_Ribeir0  said, even when i put the rows in a Excelfile, it reads it as a string field.

 

This might give us a clue: 

 

Solved: Alteryx Input Tool Reading a String data type Colu... - Alteryx Community

 

Do the first thousand records contain numbers? Then it will probably show up as a double as it seems to determine the type based on the first thousand rows. 

 

Greetings,

 

Seb

wonka1234
10 - Fireball

@Sebastiaandb @Felipe_Ribeir0 

 

First few rows in excel look like this:

 

wonka1234_1-1668527111630.png

 

 

 

My alteryx first few rows look like this:

 

 

wonka1234_2-1668527125361.png

 

 

Currently being read in as a double into alteryx

ShankerV
17 - Castor

@wonka1234 

 

Can you input that excel input sheet, as it shows as N/A, need to understand the value in it.

 

Many thanks

Shanker V

wonka1234
10 - Fireball

@ShankerV  it is actually a vlookup formula in the excel sheet

ShankerV
17 - Castor

Hi @wonka1234 

 

Actually the solution provided by my friend @Felipe_Ribeir0 should have resolved your issue.

 

As it still persists it might be caused due to some hidden issue. Hence requested to share the file where me or my fellow friends in alteryx community can input in our Alteryx and provide the solution.

 

Shanker V

 

 

wonka1234
10 - Fireball

No the select tool doesnt solve it! i wonder if its the way its being imported.

wonka1234
10 - Fireball

SEems like anything other then "0" is being read as NULL

DQAUDIT
9 - Comet

@wonka1234  - Since the column is generated by a VLOOKUP statement, Can you add to the formula to decode the "#N/A" value into another value that is text like "NA"?  For example, you could wrap an IFNA() formula around the VLOOKUP statement or convert to XLOOKUP depending on your version of Excel.

 

Expanding on the 1000 row thought, if the first 1000 rows only show 0's and "#N/A" values then perhaps Alteryx is interpreting that to be numbers and nulls and thus defaults to double.

 

Good luck.

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