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Server UI

Alteryx Server is a web application for publishing, sharing, and executing workflows. It communicates with the service to manage and execute workflows. Server uses a MongoDB persistence layer for state maintenance. This allows you to deploy the Server across multiple servers behind a load balancer (not provided as part of the architecture) to support horizontal scalability.

Alteryx Server is a private website, hosted on your server infrastructure that allows internal users to share workflows, apps, and macros. Alteryx also offered a Public Gallery which has been deprecated as of December 2021. You can now use Alteryx Community to share tools and workflows.

Configure the Server component on the Server UI screens in System Settings. The Server UI screens are available for configuration if you've selected 1 of these options on the Environment > Setup Type screen:

  • Complete Alteryx Server 

  • Custom > Enable Gallery

Server UI Configuration

The Server UI Configuration screen has configuration options, such as where you want to store temporary files and log files.

Default Run Mode

Run Mode determines the workflows that Server users can run. Use Default Run Mode to block workflows with specific tools or directory access from running in the Server.

Note

Semi-safe and Safe are only available if you have enabled the Run As setting in System Settings on the Worker > Run As screen or if you have specified Run As. Go to Worker and Credentials for more info.

If your Default Run Mode is Safe or Semi-safe, Server admins can change the run mode in each workflow on the Workflows page in the Server Admin interface. Go to Workflows for more info.

  • Unrestricted: Server users can run any workflow.

  • Semi-safe: Block Server users from running workflows that read data from or write data to a location that isn't within the workflow staging directory (workspace).

  • Safe: Block Server users from running workflows that read data from or write data to a location that isn't within the workflow staging directory (workspace). Server users are also blocked from running workflows that use specific tools, events, and data connectors. Go to Safe and Semi-safe Run Modes: Blocked Tools, Events, and Data Connectors for more info.

Server UI Workspace

The Server UI Workspace is the location where the Server stores temporary files. By default, it is a folder within the global workspace folder. This path should point to a location that is safe to store large amounts of files.

Logging Directory

This is the location where you want to store Server log messages. Go to Configure and Use Server Logs for more info.

URL Configuration

  • Base Address: This is the URL that users use to go to the Server UI. If SSL is enabled and your certificate is set to a different port than 443, specify the port in this field. For more information, go to Configure Server SSL/TLS.

    Important

    • We recommend a base address that contains either

      • The Server machine IP address (for example, http://[IP_Address]/gallery/).

        OR

      • A resolvable host name supported by internal DNS services (for example, http://[Host_Name]/gallery/).

    • Note, if you leave the default (http://localhost/gallery/), notification emails sent to Server users won't resolve properly.

  • Web API Address: This is the URL that developers use to access the Server Web API. If SSL is enabled and your certificate is set to a different port than 443, specify the port in this field. For more information, go to Configure Server SSL/TLS.

    The Web API Address can be set up only for V1, V2, and V3 using the OAuth 2. For the V1 and V2 API documentation using the OAuth 1, the address is http://{ServerHostname}/gallery/api-docs/. For more information, visit the Server API Overview help page.

  • Canonical Base Address: This is an alias, FQDN, or hostname URL that you use to access Server. Note that you must have a corresponding DNS alias defined. If you specify a canonical address, then links in email notifications will use the canonical URL instead of the Base URL.

  • Canonical Web API Address: This is an alias, FQDN, or hostname URL that developers will use to access the Server Web API. Note that you must have a corresponding DNS alias defined. If you specify a canonical address, Web API will be available via both the Web API Address and the Canonical Web API Address.

  • Enable Server UI SSL/TLS: This is the legacy SSL/TLS setting used in the past.

    Important

    AlteryxService now supports TLS for internal and direct service layer communication. For the Server-FIPS, TLS is enabled for all services and cannot be disabled. Because of this change, you must install an X.509 (TLS) certificate on the Controller and Server UI nodes. This allows communication between nodes to work with TLS. We recommend installing certificates on all of the machines hosting Server, regardless of their configuration.

    • If the Globally Enable SSL/TLS setting has already been enabled for the environment on the Environment Configuration page, it will automatically be enabled and locked here.

    • Enabling SSL changes the URL in the Base Address field to https. If your certificate is set to a port other than the default 443, include the port in the URL (for example, https://localhost:445/gallery/).

    • Ensure you have a valid signed certificate and private key installed before selecting this setting. Go to Configure Server SSL/TLS for more info.

Gallery SMTP Configuration

The SMTP screen has configuration options for enabling SMTP. The info on the SMTP page is required for Server to send email notifications for various events, such as registering your Server account, changing your password, or sharing a workflow. Go to Configure SMTP for steps to set up SMTP.

Server Persistence

On the Server Persistence screen, specify where you want to store Server info, like users, collections, etc.

By default, Server UI is set to use the same settings as those specified for the controller on the Controller > Persistence screen. Go to Controller for more info.

The Server maintains information in Mongo or User-managed SQL DB. You might either choose to use the Controller's Persistence option or define a completely separate instance of MongoDB or SQL DB.

Use Advanced Connections

For MongoDB, select Use Advanced Connections if you don't want to use the same location as specified for the controller or if you require support for these:

  • TLS/SSL

  • Replica Sets

  • Sharding

  • MongoDB Atlas

Important

If you were using replica sets before the availability of the connection string option (2020.1 release), you have to change to a connection string.

When you select Use Advanced Connections, the Web Persistence section displays a Connection field for you to specify your MongoDB connection string. Go to MongoDB Advanced Connection Strings for tips and examples on specifying connection strings.

Use Advanced Sql Connection

If you have selected User-Managed SQL DB in the Controller > Persistence section, then the Server Persistence UI is automatically populated for the Advanced SQL Connection.

The Web Persistence section displays a SQL Connection field for you to specify your SQL DB connection string. Go to SQL DB Advanced Connection Strings for tips and examples on specifying connection strings.

Web Persistence

MongoDB

For MongoDB, select Use Controller Persistence Settings to use the same location as specified for the controller on the Controller > Persistence screen. This is the default option for Server web persistence. Go to Controller for more info.

If you want the Server to use a different MongoDB connection than the controller, choose one of these:

OR

  • Uncheck Use Controller Persistence Settings and specify the Host, Database name, Username, and Password.

User-Managed SQL DB

If you have selected User-Managed SQL DB in the Controller > Persistence section, then the Server Persistence UI is automatically populated for Use Advanced Sql Connection.

A MultipleActiveResultSets (MARS) flag will be automatically added to this connection string. Manually adding a MARS flag will result in an error. Alteryx Server needs this flag to perform complex querying. Without this flag, several operations would not be possible and Server would not be fully functional. For more information on this flag, please visit Multiple Active Result Sets (MARS).

Go to SQL DB Advanced Connection Strings for tips and examples on specifying connection strings.

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