Alteryx
This page shows how to set up and use the Alteryx destination. The Alteryx destination enables users to load SAP data directly from within Alteryx.
Requirements
To use the Alteryx destination, the Xtract Universal Alteryx plugin for the Alteryx Designer must be installed.
The Xtract Universal setup installs the Xtract Universal Alteryx plugin if there is a valid Alteryx installation on the current system. If you install Alteryx after installing Xtract Universal, run the Xtract Universal setup again. The Xtract Universal setup creates the following entries and extensions in the installation directory of that Alteryx installation:
Alteryx\Settings\AdditionalPlugins\XtractUniversal.iniAlteryx\bin\RuntimeData\icons\categories\XtractUniversal.pngAlteryx\bin\RuntimeData\DefaultSettings.xml
Note
Run the Xtract Universal setup on every machine that needs the Xtract Universal Alteryx plugin. If there is more than one Alteryx installation on your system, the Xtract Universal setup only detects one installation. In this case, a manual installation is required.
- Copy the Alteryx folder
C:\Program Files\XtractUniversal\alteryxfrom your local Xtract Universal installation directory to any directory on the server you want to install the plug-in. - Run the
C:\Program Files\XtractUniversal\alteryx\AlteryxPluginSetup.exefrom a Windows command shell.
Note
The following commands are supported followed by a parameter pointing to the Alteryx installation directory:
- /i (for install) e.g.,
C:\Program Files\XtractUniversal\alteryx>AlteryxPluginSetup /i "C:\Users\mywindowsuser\AppData\Local\Alteryx" - /u (for uninstall)
When encountering issues during or after the installation of the plugin (e.g., the plugin is not showing in Alteryx), send the setup.log file located in C:\Program Files\XtractUniversal\alteryx\setup.log to the Theobald Support.
Create a new Alteryx Destination
Follow the steps below to add a new Alteryx destination to Xtract Universal:
- In the main window of the Designer, navigate to Server > Manage Destinations. The window “Manage Destinations” opens.
- Click [Add] to create a new destination. The window "Destination Details" opens.
- Enter a Name for the destination.
- Select the destination type Alteryx from the drop-down menu. A list of connection details opens.
- Fill out the destination details to connect to the destination.
- Click [OK] to confirm your input.
The destination can now be assigned to extractions.
Destination Details
The destination details define the connection to the destination. To use the Alteryx destination, no further settings are necessary.
Assign the Alteryx Destination to an Extraction
Extractions write data to their assigned destination. Follow the steps below to assign a destination to an extraction:
- In the main window of the Designer, select an extraction.
- Click [ Destination]. The window “Destination Settings” opens.
- In the “Destination Settings” window, select a destination from the drop down menu.
- Optional: edit the destination settings.
- Click [OK] to confirm your input.
When running the extraction, the extracted SAP data is now written to the destination.
Destination Settings
The destination settings only affect the extraction type that the destination is assigned to. To open the destination settings, select an extraction in the main window of the Designer and click [ Destination]. The window "Destination Settings" opens.
Column Name Style
Defines the style of the column name. Following options are available:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | The SAP technical column name is used as column name in the destination e.g., MAKTX. |
| PrefixedCode | The SAP technical column name is prefixed by SAP object name and the tilde character e.g., MAKT~MAKTX |
| CodeAndText | The SAP technical column name and the SAP description separated by an underscore are used as column name in the destination e.g., MAKTX_Material Description (Short Text). |
| TextAndCode | The SAP description and the SAP technical column name description separated by an underscore are used as column name in the destination e.g., Material Description (Short Text)_MAKTX. |
| Text | The SAP description is used as column name in the destination e.g., Material Description (Short Text). |
Convert dates
Converts the character-type SAP date (YYYYMMDD, e.g., 19900101) to a special date format (YYYY-MM-DD, e.g., 1990-01-01). Target data uses a real date data-type and not the string data-type to store dates.
Year 0
Converts the SAP date 00000000 to the entered value.
Year 9999
Converts the SAP date 9999XXXX to the entered value.
Invalid values
If an SAP date cannot be converted to a valid date format, the invalid date is converted to the entered value. NULL is supported as a value. When converting the SAP date the two special cases 00000000 and 9999XXXX are checked first.
Use Xtract Universal in Alteryx
To use Xtract Universal extractions in the Alteryx Designer, add the the Xtract Universal tool to your Alteryx workflow. The specify the Connection settings and the Parameters settings of the Xtract Universal tool.
Connection
Connect to the Xtract Universal Server and select the extraction you want to to execute in Alteryx.
Note
Make sure the Xtract Universal server is running.
Server
Enter the name, IP or domain and port to access the server that runs Xtract Universal within the network. Format: [Server]:[Port].
Extraction
Select an extraction from the drop-down menu.
Only extractions with that have the Alteryx destination assigned to them are displayed.
Send SAP credentials
Activate the checkbox Send SAP credentials, if the option Require SAP Credentials to be explicitly supplied for execution is active in the SAP source settings in Xtract Universal.
The setting Send SAP credentials can be useful in self service scenarios. When each extraction needs to be executed using an individual user's SAP credentials instead of the globally defined credentials.
Authenticate using current Windows user
Activate the checkbox Authenticate using current Windows user to use the Windows user that runs Alteryx for authentication.
Parameters
In the tab Parameters tab, the Xtract Universal tool loads available parameters for the specified extraction. The depicted examples show how to override custom parameters created in Xtract Universal.
In the following example, an extraction of SAP customers contains the custom parameter city. The parameter is available in the tab Custom Defined Parameters and can be overwritten with a static value. To override the parameter city, activate the checkbox Override and enter a new value, e.g., "Stuttgart".
The Xtract Universal tool can receive inputs, e.g., via the Input Data tool. The data input can be used to dynamically override parameters in Xtract Universal.
In the following example, an extraction of SAP customers contains the custom parameter city The parameter is available in the tab Custom Defined Parameters and can be overwritten with a dynamic input value.
To override the parameter city, activate the checkbox Override and the checkbox Map. Select an item out of the drop-down list in the field value.
Tip
If the connection to the specified Xtract Universal server is not established and no errors are shown, the Xtract Unversal tool offers a tooltip in the following format: [Extraction] @ [Server].
