Alteryx is a Time Machine
August 02, 2022
Alteryx is a Time Machine
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Modules Used
- Alteryx Analytics Gallery
Overall Satisfaction with Alteryx
Unlike dealing with already cleansed and validated data sitting in data warehouses, when it comes to big volumes of unstructured 'dirty' data in non-standard formats which then need to be quickly cleansed for analysis is where Alteryx shines. By making use of easy-to-understand workflows, even not-so-technical users are able to leverage the built-in tools in order to quickly clean, process and output data in the required format without having to defer to a data engineering specialist. An example includes trying to process 100+ text files containing 10+ million key IDs separated by spaces, which if done manually via Microsoft Excel would have likely taken roughly half an hour to process each separate file, thus requiring potentially 50+ hours to complete. Instead in Alteryx uses a simple workflow which opens a text file, separates each key ID into a new row and discarding. The headers then repeat for all the text files in the directory taking half an hour to design the workflow. After this, it takes less than a minute to actually run and output a single file which can be then used by Microsoft PowerBI or Tableau to perform analysis and/or create an ad hoc dashboard.
- Large active community which has a lot of existing examples allowing users to find solutions very quickly. Whereas for more specific problems, a large active community also means there are always experienced users available to jump on and try to resolve any issues.
- Simple but powerful standard built-in workflow tools which can easily be leveraged to accomplish any assortment of tasks; due to their simplicity the processes can easily be explained and understood by all users alike.
- Swift performance coupled with excellent integration and compatibility with other platforms, where complex workflows can literally be performed in seconds while outputting into specific formats such as .hyper files for Tableau usage.
- Additional built-in examples of workflows and tools would be very handy for beginner users.
- The aged interface could do with a revamp.
- More visible documentation and examples on the syntax used.
- Significant time savings from not having to perform manual processes.
- Automated workflows mean QA is baked in and does not require additional overhead.
Alteryx serves as a complementary product, performing all the data wrangling for the likes of Tableau Desktop and Microsoft PowerBI for visualization. Microsoft Excel serves as an easier means of automation for tasks that previously would have involved a lot of manual intervention.
Do you think Alteryx delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Alteryx's feature set?
Yes
Did Alteryx live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Alteryx go as expected?
I wasn't involved with the implementation phase
Would you buy Alteryx again?
Yes
Alteryx Feature Ratings
Evaluating Alteryx and Competitors
Not Sure
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
No change required to current evaluation and selection process. As it is product features, usability, reputation and price which constitutes the major elements of the selection process. As such having a great reputable product at a reasonable price will mean that product will mostly be picked, other aspects of the product currently does not affect the existing evaluation and selection process.