Install from Azure Marketplace

Desktop Requirements

• All desktop users of the platform must have the latest version of Google Chrome installed on their desktops.
  • Google Chrome must have the PNaCl client installed and enabled.
  • PNaCl Version:  0.50.x.y or later
• All desktop users must be able to connect to the created Alteryx node instance through the enterprise infrastructure.

Sizing Guide

Use the following guidelines to select your instance size:

Pre-requisites

Before you install the platform, please verify that the following steps have been completed.

1. License: When you install the software, the installed license is valid for 24 hours. You must acquire a license key file from Alteryx Inc. For more information, please contact Sales.

2. Supported Cluster Types:
   1. Hadoop
   2. HBase
   3. Spark

3. Data Lake Store only: If you are integrating with Azure Data Lake Store, please review and complete the following section.

Register application and r/w access to Data Lake Store

You must have an Azure Active Directory registered application with appropriate permissions, such as read/write access to the Data Lake Store resource. This can be either the same service principal used for the HDInsight cluster or a new one created specifically for the Designer Cloud Powered by Trifacta platform. This service principal is used by the Designer Cloud Powered by Trifacta platform for access to all Azure resources.

1. To create a new service principal, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-group-create-service-principal-portal#create-an-azure-active-directory-application.
2. After you have registered, please acquire the following property values prior to install.
   1. For an existing service principal, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-group-create-service-principal-portal#get-application-id-and-authentication-key to obtain the property values.

These values are applied during the install process.

Install Process

Methods

You can install from the Azure Marketplace using one of the following methods:

1. Create cluster: Create a brand-new HDI cluster and add Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition as an application.

   Tip: This method is easiest and fastest to deploy.

2. Add application: Use an existing HDI cluster and add Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition as an application.
   

   Tip: This method does not support choosing a non-default size for the Alteryx node. If you need more flexibility, please choose the following option.

   
   

3. Create a custom ARM template: Use an existing HDI cluster and configure a custom application via Azure Resource Manager (ARM) template.
   
   

   Tip: Use the third method only if your environment requires additional configuration flexibility or automated deployment via ARM template.

Depending on your selection, please follow the steps listed in one of the following sections.

Install Method - New cluster

Please use the following steps if you are creating a new HDI cluster and adding the Alteryx application to it.

Steps:

1. From the Azure Marketplace listing, click Get it Now.
2. In Microsoft Azure Portal, click the New blade.
3. Select Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition.
4. Click Create. Then, click the Quick Create tab.
   1. Please configure any settings that are not listed below according to your enterprise requirements.
   2. For more information on the Quick Create settings, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/hdinsight/hdinsight-hadoop-provision-linux-clusters.
5. Basics tab:
   1. Cluster type:
      1. Hadoop: One of the following:
         1. Hadoop
         2. HBase
         3. Spark
      2. Version:
         1. HDI 3.6

      3. Click Select.

   2. Click Next.
6. Storage tab:

   1. Select your primary storage:

      NOTE: Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition does not support Additional storage options. Additional configuration is required after install is complete for the supported storage options.

       

      1. Azure Storage
      2. Azure Data Lake Store
   2. Select a SQL database for Hive: If you plan to use Hive, you can choose to specify a database. If not, the platform creates one for you.
   3. Click Next.
7. Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition tab:
   1. Please review and accept the terms for using the product.
   2. Click Create. Click Ok.
   3. Click Next.

8. Custom tab:

   1. By default, the Alteryx node is defined as: Standard_D13_V2.

   2. If you need to change the edge node size, please click the Custom settings tab and make your selections. The following virtual machine types are supported:

      Standard_A4
      Standard_A6
      Standard_A7
      Standard_A10
      Standard_A11
      Standard_D4_v2
      Standard_D5_v2
      Standard_D12_v2
      Standard_D13_v2
      Standard_D14_v2
      Standard_D15_v2

   3. Click Next.

9. Advanced Settings tab:

   1. No changes are needed here.

10. Summary tab:

    1. Review the specification of the cluster you are creating.
    2. Make modifications as needed.
    3. To create the cluster, click Create.
11. After the cluster has been started and deployed:
    1. Login to the application.
    2. Change the admin password.
    3. Perform required additional configuration.
    4. Instructions are provided below.

Install Method - Add application to a cluster

Please use the following steps if you are adding the Alteryx application to a pre-existing HDI cluster.

Steps:

1. In the Microsoft Azure Portal, select the HDInsight cluster to which you are adding the application.
2. In the Portal, select the Applications blade. Click + Add.
3. From the list of available applications, select Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition .
4. Please accept the legal terms.
5. Click Next.
6. The application is created for you.
7. After the cluster has been started and deployed:
   
   1. Login to the application.
   2. Change the admin password.
   3. Perform required additional configuration.
   4. Instructions are provided below.

Install Method - Build custom ARM template

Please use the following steps if you are creating a custom application template for later deployment. This method provides more flexible configuration options and can be used for deployments in the future.

Steps:

1. Start here: https://portal.azure.com/#create/Microsoft.Template/uri/https%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Ftrifacta%2Fazure-deploy%2Fmaster%2FmainTemplate.json
2. From the Microsoft Azure Portal, select the custom deployment link.
3. Resource Group: Create or select one.
4. Cluster Name: Select an existing cluster name.
5. Edge Node Size: Select the instance type. For more information, see the Sizing Guide above.
6. Alteryx version: For the version, select the latest listed version of Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition.
7. Application Name: If desired, modify the application name as needed. This name must be unique per cluster.
8. Subdomain Application URI Suffix: If desired, modify the three-character alphanumeric string used in the DNS name of the application. This suffix must be unique per cluster.
9. Please specify values for the following:
   1. Application ID
   2. Directory ID
   3. Secret
10. Gallery Package Identifier: please leave the default value.
11. Please accept the Microsoft terms of use.
12. To create the template, click Purchase.
13. The custom template can be used to create the Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition application. For more information, please see the Azure documentation.
14. After the application has been started and deployed:
    1. Login to the application.
    2. Change the admin password.
    3. Perform required additional configuration.
    4. Instructions are provided below.

Login to Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition

Steps:

1. In the Azure Portal, select the HDI cluster.
2. Select the Applications blade.
3. Select the Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition application.
4. Click the Portal link.

5. You may be required to apply the cluster username and password.

   NOTE: You can create a local user of the cluster to avoid enabling application users to use the administrative user's cluster credentials. To create such a user:

   1. Navigate to the cluster's Ambari console.
   2. In the user menu, select the Manage Ambari page.
   3. Select Users.
   4. Select Create Local User.
   5. Enter a unique (lowercase) user name.
   6. Enter a password and confirm that password.
   7. Click Save.

6. You are connected to the Alteryx application.
7. In the login screen, enter the default username and password:
   
   1. Username: admin@trifacta.local
   2. Password: admin
   3. Click Login.

Change admin password

Steps:

1. If you haven't done so already, login to the Alteryx application as an administrator.
2. In the menu bar, select Settings menu > Administrator.
3. In the User Profile, enter and re-enter a new password.
4. Click Save.
5. Logout and login again using the new password.

Post-install configuration

Base parameter settings

If you are integrating with HDI and did not install via a custom ARM template, the following settings must be specified with the Alteryx application .

Steps:

1. Login to the Alteryx application as an administrator.
2. In the menu bar, select Settings menu > Admin Settings.

3. In the Admin Settings page, specify the values for the following parameters:

   "azure.secret"
   "azure.applicationId"
   "azure.directoryId"

4. Save your changes and restart the platform.

5. When the platform is restarted, continue the following configuration.

Apply license file

When the application is first created, the license is valid for 24 hours. Before the license expires, you must apply the license key file to the Alteryx node. Please complete the following general steps.

Steps:

1. Locate the license key file that was provided to you by Alteryx Inc. Please store this file in a safe location that is not on the Alteryx node.
2. In the Azure Portal, select the HDI cluster.
3. Select the Applications blade.
4. Select the Designer Cloud Enterprise Edition application.
5. From the application properties, acquire the SSH endpoint.
6. Connect via SSH to the Alteryx node. For more information, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/hdinsight/hdinsight-hadoop-linux-use-ssh-unix.

7. Drop the license key file in the following directory on the node:

   /opt/trifacta/license

8. Restart the platform.

Review refresh token encryption key

By default, the Designer Cloud Powered by Trifacta platform includes a static refresh token encryption key for the secure token service. The same default key is used for all instances of the platform.

If preferred, you can generate your own key value, which is unique to your instance of the platform.

Steps:

1. Login at the command line to the Alteryx node.

2. To generate a new refresh token encryption key, please execute the following command:
   
   

   cd /opt/trifacta/services/secure-token-service/ && java -cp server/build/install/secure-token-service/secure-token-service.jar:server/build/install/secure-token-service/lib/* com.trifacta.services.secure_token_service.tools.RefreshTokenEncryptionKeyGeneratorTool

3. The refresh token encryption key is printed to the screen. Please copy this value to the clipboard.

4. You can apply this change through the Admin Settings Page (recommended) or trifacta-conf.json. For more information, see Platform Configuration Methods.

5. Paste the value in the following property:

   "com.trifacta.services.secure_token_service.refresh_token_encryption_key": "<generated_refresh_token_encryption_key>",

6. Save your changes.

Configure Spark Execution (Advanced)

The cluster instance of Spark is used to execute larger jobs across the nodes of the cluster. Spark processes run multiple executors per job. Each executor must run within a YARN container. Therefore, resource requests must fit within YARN’s container limits.

Like YARN containers, multiple executors can run on a single node. More executors provide additional computational power and decreased runtime.

Spark’s dynamic allocation adjusts the number of executors to launch based on the following:

• job size

• job complexity

• available resources

The per-executor resource request sizes can be specified by setting the following properties in the spark.props section.

A single special process (the application driver) also runs in a container. Its resources are specified in the spark.props section:

Optimizing "Small" Joins (Advanced)

Broadcast, or map-side, joins materialize one side of the join and send it to all executors to be stored in memory. This technique can significantly accelerate joins by skipping the sort and shuffle phases during a "reduce" operation. However, there is also a cost in communicating the table to all executors. Therefore, only "small" tables should be considered for broadcast join. The definition of "small" is set by the spark.sql.autoBroadcastJoinThreshold parameter which can be added to the spark.props section of trifacta-conf.json. By default, Spark sets this to 10485760 (10MB).

Example Spark configuration parameters for given YARN configurations:

Property settings in bold are provided by the cluster.