Import Data Page

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NOTE: Designer Cloud Educational is a free product with limitations on its features. Some features in the documentation do not apply to this product edition. See Product Limitations.

Contents:

Through the Import Data page, you can upload datasets or select datasets from sources that are stored on connected datastores. From the Library for Data page, click Import Data.

Figure: Import Data page

General Limitations

NOTE: For file-based sources, the Alteryx® Analytics Cloud expects that each row of data in the import file is terminated with a consistent newline character, including the last one in the file.

For single files lacking this final newline character, the final record may be dropped.
For multi-file imports lacking a newline in the final record of a file, this final record may be merged with the first one in the next file and then dropped in the Trifacta Photon running environment.

NOTE: An imported dataset requires about 15 rows to properly infer column data types and the row, if any, to use for column headers.

File and path limitations:

The colon character ( :) cannot appear in a filename or a file path.
Filenames cannot begin with special characters like dot ( .) or underscore( _).
Input file or table paths can have a maximum length of 1024 characters.

Basic Task

1. Connect to sources

During import, the Designer Cloud application identifies file formats based on the extension of the filename.

Compressed files are recognized and can be imported based on their file extensions.
Filenames that do not have an extension are treated as TXT files.

Upload: The Alteryx Analytics Cloud can also load files from your local file system.

Tip: You can drag and drop files from your desktop to to upload them.

NOTE: You can upload a file up to 1 GB in size.

NOTE: When you upload an updated version of a previously uploaded file, the new file is stored as a separate upload altogether. Where the imported dataset based on the previous version is used, you must swap out the old dataset to point to the new one.

For more information on the supported input formats, see Supported File Formats.

2. Add datasets

When you have found your source directory or file:

You can hover over the name of a file to preview its contents.

NOTE: Preview may not be available for some sources, such as Parquet.
Click the Plus icon next to the directory or filename to add it as a dataset.

Tip: You can import multiple datasets at the same time. See below.
Excel files: Click the Plus icon next to the parent workbook to add all of the worksheets as a single dataset, or you can add individual sheets as individual datasets.

To show hidden files or folders, select Show hidden.

NOTE: Hidden folder names begin with a dot (.) or underscore (_). In general, these folders are hidden for a reason. File structures may change without notice.

Tip: If you have run a job with profiling enabled, you can import your profile files as datasets and then publish them to other datastores, such as BigQuery, for additional analysis. These files are stored in the .profiler folder beneath your job results folder in jobrun. For more information on these files, see Overview of Visual Profiling.

3. Configure selections

When a dataset has been selected, the following fields appear on the right side of the screen. Modify as needed:

Dataset Name: This name appears in the interface.
Dataset Description: You may add an optional description that provides additional detail about the dataset. This information is visible in some areas of the interface.

Tip: Click the Eye icon to inspect the contents of the dataset prior to importing.

Tip: You can select a single dataset or multiple datasets for import.

Edit settings

You can edit any additional or optional settings for an individual dataset. Perform the following:

Steps:

Click Edit Settings from the card for an individual dataset in the right panel. The dialog box is displayed.
In the dialog box, select the required options and modify the settings.
- File Import Settings: For more information, see File Import Settings.

4. Import selections

You can import one or more datasets. Continue selecting sources, and additional dataset cards are added to the right panel.

NOTE: If you are importing from multiple files at the same time, the files are not necessarily read in a regular or predictable order.

NOTE: When you import a dataset with parameters from multiple files, only the first matching file is displayed in the right panel.

In the right panel, you can see a preview of each dataset and make changes as needed.

Figure: Importing Multiple Datasets

To import the selected datasets, click Continue.
To remove a dataset from import, click the X in the dataset card.

See Also for Import Data Page:

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