Designer 2021.2 Release Notes

Version:
2021.2
Last modified: July 20, 2022
Release Note Product Versions
Version Release Date Release End of Support
2021.2.1.35394 May 17, 2021 Major November 17, 2022
2021.2.2.45235 July 22, 2021 Minor November 17, 2022
2021.2.3.07036 April 28, 2022 Minor November 17, 2022

New Features

New Intelligence Suite Tools

The Alteryx Intelligence Suite now has Computer Vision tools. Use them to input, process, analyze, and then output images using Designer.

R Upgrade

We upgraded R to 4.0.4 from 3.6.3. The R 4.0 release features improvements in R's memory management, which means R can now work with more data without memory issues. Moving to the newer version allows our users who make use of custom R code in Alteryx to continue to be able to download binary installers of R packages from CRAN.

Separate Installer for Alteryx Intelligence Suite

Intelligence Suite is now installed separately from Designer. This improves the Designer install time while allowing users to quickly install Intelligence Suite.

Updated Trial Experience

We have updated the trial experience for new and current customers. Now, individuals can independently activate an Alteryx Intelligence Suite trial from the Alteryx Designer trial. Users that want to test Alteryx Intelligence Suite now have the ability to trial this functionality even if they already have a base Designer license.

Data Cleansing via the Results Grid

You can now perform data cleansing actions directly in the Results grid and apply these actions to your workflow via a preconfigured Data Cleanse tool. We also made some user interface updates to the Results grid to better organize the Data Cleanse, Filter, and Sort options.

Convert to Macro

You now have the option to convert an existing workflow (or a portion of the workflow) to a macro. Select at least one tool, right-click, and select Convert to Macro from the dropdown menu. Visit Convert to Macro to read about important limitations and additional instructions.

Global UID

Workflows (.yxmd, .yxmc, and .yxwz files) now track unique IDs in the XML. This includes the original workflow ID and the previous workflow ID. For example:

<WorkflowId value="f8e90084-fca0-4c5d-9c0e-5fe614d78df1" />
<Telemetry>
<PreviousWorkflowId value="" />
<OriginWorkflowId value="f8e90084-fca0-4c5d-9c0e-5fe614d78df1" />
</Telemetry>

Engine Asynchronous Logging

Local engine logs can now be written asynchronously for the original Engine. This improves performance, especially for administrators writing logs to a shared network file path.

Specify a Predictive Tools Code Page per Workflow

We’ve added Predictive Code Page settings to Workflow Configuration so that the predictive code page information gets saved within the workflow. This will avoid having workflows use different predictive code page settings based on the user's selected language.

Phonetic Sort Support for Kanji Characters

We’ve introduced more sorting methods available in the various areas of Designer that allow users to sort such as the Sort tool, IRG sorting behavior, Select tool, or any tool that has an embedded Select and Tile tool. These sorting methods include Pinyin, Gojūon, and Dictionary Order for all of our supported languages.

You can customize this setting via the Localization User Settings.

Updated Embedded Fonts in Predictive Macros

We’ve updated the hardcoded fonts that were embedded in Predictive macros. As a result, customers will avoid running into garbled results in their PDF reports. The font used supports the chosen language text of the user.

Topic Model Output

We've added an additional M output anchor to the Topic Modeling tool, which allows users to save models they can later use to make predictions about new data.

Google BigQuery Output Tool Updates

We updated the Google BigQuery Output tool to utilize bulk file write instead of streaming records to BigQuery. The tool now loads JSON files from the local machine into BigQuery. Please see the release notes in Gallery provided for these tools for additional information.

Salesforce Input Tool Maintenance

We remedied defects in the Salesforce Input tool. Please see the release notes in Gallery provided for this tool for information.

Update SafeMode Error Message Text to Restricted

When attempting to run a workflow (in Server, Gallery, or AAH) that contains restricted tools when the Safe or Semi-Safe mode is set, users will now get different error messages returned. For example, "Restricted Environment Error: The R tool is prohibited based on current run mode settings."

Deadlock Prevention Part 2: Limit Connections for Join Multiple, Action Order for Summarize, and Increase the Number of Threads if Memory Is Increased

In the case where a workflow contained multiple of these tools (Join, Join Multiple, Summarize, Tile, and FuzzyMatch), and the memory limit was too small, there was a high chance that the engine went to a memory deadlock. Now, this issue is resolved.

One Tool Example Updates

We converted several workflows into One Tool Examples. You can now find these under Help > Sample Workflows > Learn one tool at a time > Predictive. These were previously found under Help > Sample Workflows > Predictive Samples.

Fixed and Known Issues

Fixed

Major Release Version 2021.2.1.35394

ID Description Version Issue Status
DE9620 Writing to a named range in Excel corrupts the Excel file when calculations are present on the same sheet (outside of the named range). 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE17812 Access driver support ended for Alteryx Server. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE18676 The Output file is not created when there is an error in the workflow and when the input file is empty. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE24415 IRG (SSF): Issue around persistence after closing and opening Results window. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE25188 Writing output range on Excel file deletes existing data in other columns after output. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE25884 Overwriting sheet in Excel workbook changes/corrupts pivot tables and formulas. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE26779 Problem with saving workflow to Server reading same Excel multiple times. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE27821 Summarize does not pass metadata after creating a cache point on Data Cleanse. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE27906 The Non Overlap Drivetime tool fails with AMP Engine with Indirect Type. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE27954 Workflows using MSSQL DB started failing after upgrade to version 2020.3. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE27967 Unexpected behavior: Select tool does not display expected field list, caching original list. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE27970 CrossTab: Columns 'Group data by these values' doesn't appear in downstream tools. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE27980 Cached macros lose output connection when saved and reopened. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28005 When opening a workflow with the Data Cleansing tool using AMP Engine, 20.4 Designer does not respond. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28074 Changes to setting custom configuration values for the number of knots used in the model and the penalty term or knot. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28107 Different results using a Spatial Match process with the AMP and the original engine. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28207 With AMP the Allocator appears to be deadlocked while reading .yxdb file with a 400 MB memory limitation. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28209 With AMP the Allocator would appear to be deadlocked and the workflow hangs. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28274 Tableau Server error with the large datasets being published using the Publish To Tableau Server tool with AMP. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28278 Different results when using the Select Records tool with AMP and the original engine. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28334 In version 2020.4 the XML Parse tool does not detect specific child. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28341 Reading a zip archive from a downloaded temp file won't configure reading a file from the archive. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28365 Workflow Configuration tabs display settings or previous workflow. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28376 Dynamic Input Ordering macro is reporting scrambled data with AMP. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28454 Restore XML Read & Parse behavior when using namespaces. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28489 Date Time Now tool: Help link not correct. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28494 TS Plot tool: Graphic resolution configuration is altered when toggling from English to a non-English interface. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28512 Changes improved the graph resolution in a Japanese locale. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28623 Macro message formatting with file paths does not match with AMP and the original engine. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28645 The Select Records macro selects the wrong records with AMP. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28673 Engine crash when writing just 1 LOB column when there are multiple (via OCI). 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28712 Summarize tool: Count Distinct Function used on Boolean Field returns an incorrect value with AMP. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28719 In-DB tools: Quote and unquote on write does not work. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE28799 Python tool duplicates the JupyterGuidDir. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE29411 Crosstab loses extra columns generated by previous tool (similar to Transpose). 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed
DE29535 Memory leak in AlteryxEngine XSRCLib pipe handling. 2021.2.1.35394 Fixed

Minor Release Version 2021.2.2.45235

DE28819 Workflows with a Download tool fail with a 500 error in version 2020.3 2021.2.2.45235 Fixed
DE33681 PythonAllowHideEncryption registry key does not work in 2021.2 for PowerBI Output v3. 2021.2.2.45235 Fixed

Minor Release Version 2021.2.3.07036

TELC-2713 After upgrade from 2020.3 to 2021.2, all production workflows involving HDFS failed with the error: Failed to retrieve upload redirect URL (hadoop.example.com:50070):HTTP Error 500: Internal Server Error - Unknown error. 2021.2.3.07036 Fixed
TELC-2658
DE34056
Unable to write to HDFS with Kerberos when tokens are longer than a certain size. 2021.2.3.07036 Fixed

Known

ID Description Version Issue Status
DE12079 The Join tool is losing fields with the original engine. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28313 With AMP the data is not passing through Block until Done when reading from Salesforce. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28315 Summarize tool's financial function limits. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28337 Resetting Designer causes undoing some of the changes (add/delete gallery). 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28358 Tool Palette categories revert to Getting Started subset upon opening Options > Manage Licenses. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28402 With AMP the Input Data Tool shows FileName incorrectly when reading a zip file with the option 'Output File Name as Field'='File Name Only'. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28465 The Report Map tool fails to run when another Report Map tool is in a disabled Tool Container with AMP. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28493 Record Limit of Browse tool's Data Profiling is improperly applied to Basic Data Profile tool. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28550 Safe Mode doesn't work when outputting the report in CASS tool with the original engine. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28598 Fixed decimal problem in Results window. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28665 Query builder doesn't show schema that only has views in Snowflake. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28716 In main workflow connection to the Macro tool changes when macro is refreshed. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28735 Oracle SQL Query using Time functions fetches data in SQL Developer, but the same query doesn't return the same results in Alteryx Designer. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28737 Dynamic Rename: Incorrect columns renaming for 'Take Fields Names from R input meta data' mode. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28744 Query Builder does not accept Oracle datatype INTERNAL DAY() TO SECOND(). 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28758 Different Designer versions execute the same workflow within different durations on Non-English OS. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE28771 Ateryx bug setting up OLEDB with a slash in name. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29214 With AMP the Browse tools are displayed in Analytic App results, despite the configuration. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29246 Corrupted data when writing WString to a CLOB using OCI. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29247 Unable to write string to BLOB field using OCI. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29275 With AMP the Double Byte space in formula errors out in Designer 2021.1. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29311 Macro force-shutting down Alteryx Designer. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29332 Opening Visual Query Builder with an Access DB breaks subsequent use of XLSB, etc. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29356 Attachment fields are not handled properly (MS Access). 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29405 Excel file gest corrupt and it is not updated properly in version 2021.1. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29456 Running Crew Macros results in an error. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29616 The Browse tool throws an error 'InboundNamedPipe GetOverlappedResult' with AMP. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29774 Join Multiple tool does not work with AMP. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE29806 With AMP the workflow execution does not stop if there were errors while applying actions. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE30168 The Sample Workflow, "Principal Components", experiences an error on the Union tool. When a workflow that contains a Union tool is placed downstream of the Principal Components R tool, or any predictive tool, the Union tool errors because of recent data type updates with its reporting capabilities. Rerun the workflow a second time so that the Union tool is able to capture the updated metadata and the workflow should run successfully. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE33584 AMP Engine error: "The file "debug_temp.yxmd" does not exist" using Debug mode (Interface Designer). 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE33642 Tool Containers: Red x with unhandled exception occurs in version 2021.2 2021.2.1.35394 Known
DE33649 Report Text tool error: Render to Excel (*.xlsx) outputs with black background color. 2021.2.1.35394 Known
TCPE-104 Report and interactive outputs cause intermittent Designer crash. 2021.2.1.35394 Known

Security Updates

Fixed

Minor Release Version 2021.2.2.45235

ID Description Version Issue Status
DE33626 Disabled external entity parsing for Excel inputs. 2021.2.2.45235 Fixed
DE33627 Set entity expansion limit to 0 for Excel inputs. 2021.2.2.45235 Fixed

Minor Release Version 2021.2.3.07036

TELC-2814

GCSE-422

AMP Engine may log sensitive information when processing workflows that contain Gallery Connections. 2021.2.3.07036 Fixed
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