How to implement and standardize Alteryx in your organization?

I truly believe Alteryx is a magical tool that allows its users to solve business problems in an elegant and scalable way. It can bring real value to the organizations. For example, early in my career as a developer, I had the opportunity to help a company save +100 hours per month with a single process.

Incorrect implementation = untapped potential of Alteryx

Alteryx implementation is very important and here I will point out some common mistakes which you should avoid.

Steps you need to take to implement Alteryx correctly

1. Find individuals preferably with some technical skills and knowledge who will be the Alteryx specialists in your team.

2. Free up their time by dividing at least some of their responsibilities between other team members.

3. Assure proper training - you can hire external trainers to teach Alteryx or task them with completing the Getting Started Learning Path in the Alteryx Academy. If you need any support in this area, please reach out to me or Data Pal. We have more than 1,000 satisfied training participants, and we will go the extra mile to satisfy our customers.

4. Introduce them to the Alteryx Community, where are plenty of experts who are eager to help others solve problems using Designer.

5. Identify the low hanging fruits and grab them. If you see an opportunity to quickly implement a solution with rewarding benefits, you should pursue it.

6. Establish rules that your team agrees to follow where you define the standards and processes.

Benefits of correct Alteryx Implementation

After implementation take care of folders structure

Reorganising your files is a worthy time investment. That will pay off when you need to immediately find some old resources. Below, I am attaching an example of a folder structure that you can implement. However, remember that each team is different, and you need to adjust the organization to your preferences.

You should remove unnecessary and archive outdated files. Make sure you keep the latest working version of your work.

Descriptive titles and numeration

Use numbers and a proper naming convention that clearly state what the workflow is doing. If you are working with a big team with numerous workflows, it is a more efficient way to maintain them.

Using comments, annotations, tool containers

Thanks to proper use of Comment tools and the annotation function, after time, everyone will know why the analyst applied certain logic in the workflow. Additionally, it will improve understanding of your work and provide crucial support when you return to a project that you may have forgotten.

Using colours

I would suggest picking one simple approach that your team can stick to. Choose one universal color system to maintain order.

Creating templates

Alteryx workflow template is the secret to boost your productivity!  You can create templates with...

• company-specific colors for title bars and metadata comment boxes.
• standardized structure for inputs & outputs in a container.
• pre-selected Workflow Configuration settings.

We have created and tested our own template that can help you and your colleagues on your Alteryx journey. Please feel free to download our free Alteryx workflow template here: Free Alteryx Workflow Template Here

We believe our workflow template will help your projects and make data analytics team work easier. Feel free to explore and change it to fit what you need.

How to save Alteryx templates? Watch the video below!

Use the Save as Template dialog to provide some template metadata like Owner, Name, Description, and Image. When you select Use Template, Alteryx creates a copy of the original template and opens it as a new unsaved workflow, macro, or app. Once you make any updates, you need to save your project.

Alteryx saves a template to this directory by default:

C:\Users\[USER]\AppData\Local\Alteryx\Templates

But you can change workflow template directory by using in Override System Settings the 3-dot menu to browse to your location.

Alternatively, to save multiple templates at once, add them directly to the specified directory, ensuring they have the correct file extensions. Items without valid extensions in this directory won't appear via File > Templates.

You can:

• make updates to an existing template if needed,
• add or update template metadata at any point,
• delete it.

The template file types:

• YXTD (Workflow Template)
• YXTC (Macro Template)
• YXTZ (Analytic App Template)

Put your procedure in the workflows

This will make easier for you to keep it updated and you won’t waste time searching for it. You can use the Comment tool or another good practice is to populate the Meta Info tab in the Workflow - Configuration. Put there information like links to documentation, version number, description or the Author name, which can be especially handy in bigger teams.

When your solution is ready:

Build automated tests

A good practice is to have an automated test to minimize the risk of errors. Identify mistakes made in the past and accurately predict potential ones before they occur.

Thanks to the implementation of checks, you can:

How to test your workflow?

For this purpose, you can use one of the two tools below.

While building your workflows in Alteryx, don't forget to follow best practices for smooth operation!

At Data Pal, we genuinely care about helping you get the most out of Alteryx. If you'd like us to come to your company and give you a hand with implementation and standardization, just reach out. We're here to help!