Alteryx Designer Core flashcards
Alteryx Designer Core · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- YXDB native file format
- Alteryx's own compressed data format. It stores field names, types and sizes exactly as defined, reads and writes faster than Excel or CSV, and needs no external driver.
- Directory tool output fields
- Returns one record per file in a specified folder, including FullPath, FileName, Directory, Extension, Size, CreationTime and LastWriteTime, and commonly feeds a Dynamic Input tool.
- Dynamic Input tool
- Reads a field containing file paths, sheet names or SQL queries and applies a single Input Data configuration to each value, unioning all results into one output stream.
- Text Input tool
- Creates an inline table by typing or pasting values directly into the workflow. It needs no external file and is the usual way to build lookup or parameter tables.
- Input Data record limit
- A configuration property that stops the tool after a set number of records. A blank or zero value reads every record available from the source.
- CSV first row as headers
- When checked, row one of a delimited file becomes the field names. When unchecked, row one is read as data and fields are named Field1, Field2, and so on.
- Output Data append option
- Adds new records to the end of an existing file instead of overwriting it; this option is available for delimited text and Excel outputs rather than YXDB files.
- Text to Columns tool
- Splits one text field into several fields using chosen delimiters, with settings for the number of output columns, the root field name, and ignoring delimiters inside quotes.
- Split to rows option
- A Text to Columns setting that outputs one record per delimited value instead of one new column, expanding a comma-separated list into individual rows.
- RegEx tool modes
- Match reports whether a pattern is found, Parse extracts capture groups into fields, Replace substitutes text, and Tokenize splits text at each match of the pattern.
- RegEx capture group reference
- In the Replace mode replacement string, $1 refers to the first parenthesized group, $2 to the second group, and $0 to the entire match.
- Data Cleansing tool actions
- Can remove null rows and columns, replace nulls with a value, strip leading and trailing whitespace, tabs and line breaks, and change text to upper, lower or title case.
- Auto Field tool purpose
- Resizes string fields to the length of their longest value and shrinks numeric fields to the smallest type that fits, reducing memory use and output file size.
- DateTimeParse function
- Converts a text value into a Date or DateTime using a format string; for example DateTimeParse([DateField], "%m/%d/%Y") interprets a US-style date correctly.
- Transpose tool behavior
- Turns selected data columns into rows. Key fields pass through unchanged, while each transposed field produces a record with a generic Name and Value pair.
- Cross Tab tool
- Turns rows into columns: Group By fields form the rows, the Headers field supplies new column names, and the Values field is aggregated by the chosen method.
- Summarize tool aggregations
- Groups records and computes actions such as Sum, Count, Count Distinct, Min, Max, Average, Median, First, Last and Concatenate, which uses a configurable separator.
- Sample tool options
- Returns First N, Last N, Skip N, Every N, or a random count or percentage of records; an optional group field applies the rule separately within each group.
- Multi-Row Formula tool
- Calculates a value using other records, referencing Row-1, Row+1 or the current row, with configurable first-row values and optional grouping to reset boundaries.
- Running Total tool
- Adds a field holding the cumulative sum of a numeric field in record order; when a group field is configured, the running total restarts for each group.
- Record ID tool
- Appends a sequential integer to each record starting from a specified value, which preserves the original row order after sorting or joining operations.
- Join tool output anchors
- J holds records matched on all join fields, L holds unmatched left records, and R holds unmatched right records; an inner join keeps only the J output.
- Join by record position
- A join mode that pairs the first record of each input, then the second, and so on, ignoring key fields entirely when row order carries the relationship.
- Union Auto Config by Name
- Matches fields that share a name regardless of their order, so columns line up correctly; fields absent from an input are output as null for that input's records.
- Append Fields tool
- Builds a Cartesian product by adding every source field to every target record. The Cartesian Join option must be enabled to allow a source input larger than 16 records.
- Join Multiple tool
- Combines several inputs in a single tool, supporting multiple join expressions, join by name or by position, and a selectable output join type.
- Fuzzy Match tool
- Compares records using a match style and similarity threshold, optionally generating match keys, and outputs matched pairs plus unmatched records for review.
- Tool container disabling
- A tool container groups tools on the canvas; when disabled its contents turn gray and do not execute, while remaining saved in the workflow.
- Disable all output tools
- A Runtime setting in Workflow Configuration that prevents Output Data and other writing tools from running, which is useful when repeatedly testing a workflow.
- Workflow file extensions
- YXMD is a standard workflow, YXMC is a macro, YXZP is a packaged workflow that embeds input files, and YXDB is Alteryx's native data file format.
- Alteryx field data types
- Include String and V_String, WString and V_WString, Byte, Int16, Int32, Int64, Fixed Decimal, Float, Double, Bool, Date, DateTime and Time.
- AMP execution engine
- An alternate Alteryx engine toggled on the Runtime tab of Workflow Configuration; it changes performance and the behavior of some tools versus the original engine.