General Workflow Streamlining Tips

[Lili1]

Hello everyone! I am a Data Analytics student hoping to get some tips on a specific topic, I can't seem to find a related discussion.

My Alteryx professor gave us the tip that a Select and a Sort tool should never be next to each other, as you can do both of those things within one tool. I would love to hear other tools that you think should "never" be next to each other, and what tool you recommend for executing their capabilities with the least tools possible. I'd also appreciate any general tips for keeping my workflows as "clean" as possible. Thank you all so much!

[caltang]

"Select and Sort should never be next to each other" .... why not? The Select tool can do a multitude of things - namely sorting fields, selecting/dropping fields, changing data types, changing data sizes, adding descriptions, and even renaming them. 

The Sort tool sorts the record order, not the field order. I wouldn't go so far as to say "never", that's a strong word to use. I do use Sort and Select - use it when you know what you want to do with the data. 

[caltang]

For best practices to a workflow, you can refer here: https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Engine-Works/Make-Your-Workflow-Visually-Impactful-Part-3-Visual-Ef... 

There's a reason why the white space on Alteryx is called a Canvas. It is for you to design and put your flair to it. Whilst it is good to optmize your workflow with less tools, but as someone starting out with Alteryx, the best way to learn is to use the tools freely and learn to shorten as you get more experienced with Alteryx. 

I personally feel that if you jump in now and try to "perfect" everything, you'll be limiting your imagination and experience with the tool. Knowing it deeply and using it makes you learn better in my honest view. 

I would be more concerned about knowing how to define your end goal of what you're trying to do with Alteryx, and then think about how to get there. You may have a perfectly optimized workflow but if you're not solving anything, it wouldn't mean much...

[caltang · Accepted solution]

Please find more links to help you in your journey:

• https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Engine-Works/7-Alteryx-Best-Practices-to-Simplify-Your-Life/ba-p/80...
• https://knowledge.alteryx.com/index/s/article/Tips-Tricks-2016-Workflow-Optimization-1583460190241
• https://knowledge.alteryx.com/index/s/article/How-can-I-make-my-module-run-faster-1583460182985
• https://www.thedataschool.co.uk/theo-isaac/quick-easy-tips-to-speed-up-your-alteryx-workflow/