Input Data Tool

Configure the tool

1. In the Configuration window, type a file path in Connect a File or Database or select an option:
   File

   1. Click File to browse to the file to connect to a file in a local or network directory.
   2. Double-click a file to select it.

   You can also connect to a file by clicking and dragging a file on your computer to the Alteryx canvas, adding an Input Data tool connected to the file you selected.

   Select multiple files

   In the file browse window, type a wildcard as part of the file path.

   Consider a case where you have multiple data tables with both:

   • identical table structures, meaning the table contains the same columns, data types, and sheet names
   • similar names in the same directory

   Type the file name they have in common and add an * to substitute all subsequent characters or a ? to substitute one character. Remember to include the file extension that is common to all files when specifying the file names.

   This path brings in every.csv file contained within the data\datafiles directory with a file name that begins with ABCD.

   data\datafiles\ABCD*.csv

   For example, it would bring in ABCD_4.csv and ABCD_012.csv.

   This path brings in every.csv file contained within the data\datafiles directory with a file name that begins with ABCD_ + 1 character.

   data\datafiles\ABCD_?.csv

   Excel

   On Select Excel Input, select one of the Excel inputs:

   • Select a sheet to choose from the sheets available in the excel file.
   • Select a named range to choose from the named ranges available in the excel file.
   • Import only the list of sheet names to create output with a single column containing sheet names as values.

     None of the related data is output when this option is selected.

   Known issues

   The Access driver reads "!!!" as "###" and both ",,," and "..." as "___". This can impact the sheet names and named ranges in an Excel file pulled into Alteryx.

   Zip files

   See Zip File Support for more information.

   Select file type to extract: Use the drop down to select the type of files to display.

   Select files: Click the check box next to the file you want to extract.

   To see all files in the zip file, including files that are not supported by Alteryx, select Other Files under Select file type to extract. Select a file type to Parse other files as.

   Microsoft SQL Server

   Click Microsoft SQL Server to create a new Microsoft SQL Server database connection.

   See Connect to a SQL Server Database.

   Oracle

   Click Oracle to create a new Oracle database connection.

   See Connect to an Oracle Database.

   Hadoop

   Click Hadoop to create a new Hadoop database connection.

   Alteryx connects to a Hadoop Distributed File System and reads .csv and .avro files. All Hadoop distributions implementing the HDFS standard are supported.

   Configure HDFS connections

   HDFS can be read using httpfs (port 14000), webhdfs (port 50070), or Knox Gateway (8443). Consult with your Hadoop administrator for which to use. If you have a Hadoop High Availability (HA) cluster, your Hadoop admin must explicitly enable httpfs.

   MapR may not support webhdfs.

   In the HDFS Connection window:

   1. Select a server configuration: HTTPFS, WebHDFS, or Knox Gateway.
   2. Host: Specify the installed instance of the Hadoop server. The entry must be a URL or IP address.
   3. Port: Displays the default port number for httpfs (14000), webhdfs (50070), or Knox Gateway (8443), or enter a specific port number.
   4. URL: The URL defaults based on the Host. The URL can be modified.
   5. User Name: Depending on the cluster setup, specify the user name and password for access.
   • httpfs: A user name is needed, but it can be anything.
   • webhdfs: The user name is not needed.
   • Knox Gateway: A user name and password is needed.

   Self-signed certificates are not supported in Alteryx. Use a trusted certificate when configuring Knox authentication.

   6. Kerberos: Select a Kerberos authentication option for reading and writing to HDFS. The option you choose depends on how your IT admin configured the HDFS server:
      • None: No authentication is used.
      • Kerberos MIT: Alteryx uses the default MIT ticket to authenticate with the server. You must first acquire a valid ticket using the MIT Kerberos Ticket Manager.
      • Kerberos SSPI: Alteryx uses Windows Kerberos keys for authentication, which are obtained when logging in to Windows with your Windows credentials. The User Name and Password fields are therefore not available.
   7. (Recommended) Click Test to test the connection.
   8. Click OK.
   9. Specify the path of the file (for example, path/to/file.csv), or browse to the file and select it.
   10. Select the Avro or CSV file format and click OK.

   To connect to HDFS for in-database processing, use the Connect In-DB Tool.

   Other Databases

   Point to Other Databases to create a new database connection to a database other than Microsoft, Oracle, or Hadoop.

   Select the database you want to connect to:

   • ODBC
   • OleDB
   • Oracle OCI
   • Teradata Bulk
   • ESRI
   • 32-Bit Database Connections
   • Previous connections

   Before you connect to a database, consider the following:

   • Both ODBC and OleDB connection types support spatial connections. Alteryx auto-detects if a database supports spatial functionality and displays the required configurations.
   • When connecting to any OleDB or ODBC database, be sure to use the native driver provided by the database vendor.
   • The Choose Table or Specify Query Window window opens if the database has multiple tables. You can then select tables and construct queries.
   • To connect to a database for in-database processing, see In-Database Overview.
   Saved Data Connections

   Point to an option and select a saved or shared data connection to connect it, or click Manage to view and edit connections.

   • All Connections: Displays a list of connections saved to your computer plus connections shared with you from a Gallery.
   • My Computer: Displays a list of connections saved to your computer.
   • Gallery: Displays a list connections shared with you from a Gallery.
   • Add a Gallery: Opens the Gallery Login screen. Use your user name and password to log in. After logging in, return to Saved Data Connections and point to the Gallery in the list to view connections shared from the Gallery.

   See Manage Data Connections Window for more on managing saved and shared data connections and troubleshooting.

2. Select file format options. Options vary based on the file or database to which you connect. See File Format Options.
3. Preview the data layout.
   Preview details

   The data layout preview is limited to 100 records, or fewer in wide files. If data contains 1500 columns, at least one record and up to two rows are displayed. Use a Browse Tool to view all data.