Workflows

Run, share, schedule, edit analytic apps, and download outputs without ever leaving Alteryx Analytics Hub (AAH). Get started by uploading a file directly to Alteryx Analytics Hub. Go to Files > Private > Show All > + Add and upload a folder or individual files. If you upload a folder, the folder’s file structure appears the same in Alteryx Analytics Hub, so it’s easy to stay organized. AAH also supports dragging a file into your private workspace.

To go directly to your uploaded file, hover over the file upload confirmation and select Open.  

To upload a workflow that has data connections, upload it through the Designer integration described in the Workflows with Data Connections section.

Save a Workflow to Analytics Hub from Designer

Ensure your machine is set up to connect to Designer. To learn how to connect your machine, see the Connect Designer to Alteryx Analytics Hub article. There is a 2-minute timeout on workflows uploading from Designer to Hub. If a workflow takes longer than 2 minutes to upload from Designer to Hub, the upload fails.

To save a workflow to Analytics Hub, follow these steps:

1. Open a workflow in Designer.
2. Go to Save As > Analytics Hub.
3. Select your Analytics Hub site or select Add New Connection. To add a new connection, see above.
4. In the Save Workflow window...
   • Provide a Workflow Name.
   • Select a Location to save to. The default location is set to your personal files. Note that only folders that you have permission to write to are available to select. You need the create permission to save a new file and the edit permission to save an update to an existing file.
   • Provide an optional Description.
5. Select the Workflow Options dropdown to configure these settings:
   • Save workflow then validate: Selected by default, validates your workflow after it is saved to Analytics Hub. If validation fails, error messaging displays to alert you to the causes, for example incorrectly configured tools or missing dependencies.
   • Create credentials: Create a credential in Analytics Hub for a workflow with data connections upon upload from Designer. When you run the workflow in AAH, it will work right away, as the connections are already configured.
   • Manage workflow assets: Select if your workflow has assets. Make sure you include all the assets, or the workflow won’t run in Analytics Hub.
     • Select Group assets by tool to display all of the workflow's assets or file dependencies grouped together with the tool they are connected to.
     • Deselect an asset to omit it from the workflow package.
6. Select Save. The Save Workflow window displays Workflow saved, Data Connections*, and Workflow validated status. The workflow is saved to Analytics Hub for you to run, schedule, and share.
   
   *If Analytics Hub detects that your workflow uses an embedded data source connection to one of the supported databases (Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, Postgres, Snowflake, and Redshift), the Save Workflow window displays a success or error message for Data Connections. If no database connection exists, the Data Connections section does not display.
    
   
7. Select View in Browser to view the workflow in Analytics Hub or select Close to close the Save Workflow window in Designer. The View in Browser function works best when Google Chrome is set as your default browser.

Open an Analytics Hub Workflow in Designer

If you recently opened an Analytics Hub workflow, you can open it again via File > Open Recent. The list contains the 10 most recently opened workflows. If your workflow is not on the list, follow these steps:

1. In Designer, select File > Open Workflow.
2. Select your Analytics Hub connection.
   1. If you previously connected to Analytics Hub, your connection is listed by site name.
   2. To add a new Analytics Hub connection, select Add New Analytics Hub Connection. See Connect to Analytics Hub above.
3. In the Open Workflow window, select the workflow, macro, or app that you want to open. Use the search bar to locate a specific item or use the All, Workflows, Macros, and Apps tabs to view specific item types.
4. Select the Open button to open the item in Designer.

Remove Connection to Analytics Hub

To remove an existing connection to Analytics Hub, follow these steps:

1. In Designer, go to Save As > Analytics Hub.
2. Select the connection that you want to remove.
3. In the Save Workflow window, select the gear icon at the top and select Remove Connection.

Workflows with Data Connections

If you want to upload a workflow that has data connections, then it needs to be uploaded through the Designer Integration. We do not support dragging and dropping a workflow with non-data connection dependencies (for example, a packaged in a YXZP). You can manage dependencies directly in Analytics Hub.

To run or schedule a workflow with data connections, follow these steps:

• Drag an Input Data tool onto your canvas. For In-Database, use a Connect In-DB tool. Learn more about In-DB Configuration.
• Select Connect a File or Database
• Select Data Sources. Supported Data Sources are:
  1. Amazon Redshift
  2. Microsoft SQL Server
  3. MySQL
  4. Oracle
  5. PostgreSQL
  6. SAP HANA
  7. Snowflake
• Complete the steps to set up the data source of your choice.
• Save your workflow to Alteryx Analytics Hub. The data source is also automatically saved to Alteryx Analytics Hub.
• Open Alteryx Analytics Hub.
• Go to Data Sources in the main menu.
• Find the data source you created in Designer.
• Select Add connection.
• Enter a Connection name.
• Select Credential > Create new credential.
• Enter a Username and Password. Select Save.
• Go to  Files > Private Folders to find and run your workflow.

In-Database Configuration

A file connection must be used and the file (.indbc) itself must be packaged with the workflow or on an accessible network file share. Learn more about In-Database tools and how to manage in-database connections in Designer. 

Run and Schedule Workflows

Run and schedule workflows from the workflow's details page. If you don't have the necessary permissions, you won't see the Schedule or Run button.

Run a Workflow

1. Select Run.
2. Enter Job Name.
3. Select Version.
4. (Optional) Select Advanced Settings. Advanced Settings include:
   1. Run As—the user you want to run the workflow as.
   2. Job Priority—how you want your job prioritized in the queue.
   3. Job Tag—determines what engines can run your job.
   4. Output Location
   5. Connections—any dependency errors display at the top. The bottom table shows specific connections for the workflow. Select the arrows to change an input file.
      
5. Select Run.
6. Select Refresh to see the workflow results in the Results table.

Create a Schedule

1. Select Schedule.
2. Enter Occurrence settings. Notice the Schedule Enabled toggle. If you ever need to pause the schedule, you can turn off Schedule Enabled. The schedule won't run until you reenable it.
3. Enter the Schedule name and optional Description on the Description tab.
4. (Optional) Select Advanced Settings. Advanced Settings include:
   1. Run As-the user you want to run the workflow as.
   2. Job Priority-how you want your job prioritized in the queue.
   3. Job Tag-determines what engines can run your job.
   4. Dependency information-any dependency errors display at the top. The bottom table shows specific connections for the workflow. Select the arrows to change an input file.
5. Return to the Occurrence or Description tab and select Schedule to save your schedule.

Select Output Locations

To view file outputs and change an output file location, go to a workflow's details page. Find Dependencies. For any Dependency with an output, hover and select the vertical ellipsis icon > Change Output File Location.

YXDB Output​ and Download Options

You can choose a file type when downloading a YXDB file stored on AAH. To convert a YXDB file to another supported file type, open the file's details page. Select Download. Supported file types are CSV, XLSX, TDE, KML, SHP, TAB, MIF, and DBF.