Workflow Admin Manager for Designer User Guide v.2022.2

Table of Contents

Initial Setup

    Adding a License Key

    Set Directories

Workflow Folder Locations

Output Path

Settings

    General 

Schedule

License

Homepage

Reporting

    Standard Reports

Management Reports

Connections

Fields

Track Changes

Palette

Initial Setup

Adding a License Key

When Workflow Admin Manager is opened for the first time, you will be notified your license key has expired. You will need to have saved the provided license key to an easily accessible location.

Click ‘OK’ to exit the notification.

*At this point, most of the features will be locked and grayed out.

To add a license:

1. Navigate to File > Settings.
2. Click on the tab on the far right called ‘License.’ 
3. Enter your named license key. 
4. Click ‘Save’ to close the Settings window or click ‘Apply’ to stay on the Setting page. Both options will unlock the application.  

Set Directories

Next, we will setup paths to the directories used within WAM. The paths include the following.

4. Workflow Folder Locations – folders in which WAM will access Alteryx Workflows. Only workflows in these folders will be able to be accessed by WAM.
5. Output Path – where reports and workflow backups will be placed once created. All outputs from WAM will appear in this folder or subfolders, based on the report type.
6. Alteryx Installation Path – the location of the Alteryx GUI executive file. If the default path was used during the Alteryx Install, this will be located under Program Files > Alteryx > bin > AlteryxGui.exe. Make sure to use AlteryxGui.exe and NOT AlteryxGui.exe.config. 
7. Alteryx Log Folder Location – Correct configuration of this file path is required to enable the Log Configuration Record Count. Indicate the logging directory by first opening Alteryx, navigating to Options > User Settings > “Edit User Settings,” clicking the check box which enables “Override System Settings,” and populating the option for “Logging Directory (blank for no logging).” (note: when you choose a file, save the path to your clipboard as you enter it as you will need to populate the same file path into this setting on WAM in order to enable the feature). Save your settings. Return to the WAM settings window and populate this field with the same file path you indicated in Alteryx.

Workflow Folder Locations 

To configure the Workflow Folder Locations:

1. Navigate to File > Settings > General.
2. Click ‘Browse’ under the Workflow Folder Locations section.
3. Select the location of the workflows you would like to add. 
4. Click ‘Select Folder.’ 
5. Click ‘Add.’ The specified folder path will be shown in the list below.

*You can add multiple folder locations by following the above instructions. Once added, you will see multiple folder paths shown. 

Output Path

To configure the Output Path:

1. Navigate to File > Settings > General.
2. Click ‘Browse’ under the Output Path section.
3. Select the location of the workflows you would like to add. 
4. Click ‘Select Folder.’  The Output Path will be displayed.

*When running reports within WAM, subfolders will be created under the specified location. Any backups created will also be found here. 

Alteryx Installation Path

To configure the Alteryx Installation Path:

1. Navigate to File > Settings > General.
2. Click ‘Browse’ under the Alteryx Installation Path section.
3. Select the location of the AlteryxGui.exe file.  
4. Click ‘Open.’ The Alteryx Installation Path will be displayed.

Alteryx Log Folder Location

To configure the Alteryx Log Folder Location:

1. Open Alteryx Designer and navigate to Options > User Settings > Edit User Settings > Override Systems Settings
2. Provide Logging Directory in Alteryx and Run Workflow in Alteryx
3. Select the location of the AlteryxGui.exe file.  
4. Click ‘Open.’ The Alteryx Installation Path will be displayed.

Settings

The Settings can be found under File within the Navigation Bar, and can also be accessed by the gear icon in the top right corner. Within Settings, you can manage the following.

6. Workflow Folder Locations
7. Report Output Path
8. Alteryx Installation Path
9. Enable Automatic Workflow Backups
10. Schedule
11. License Keys

General

For information regarding the Workflow Folder Locations, Output Path, Alteryx Installation Path or Alteryx Logging file path refer to the Initial Setup section. 

License Keys 

For information regarding the Workflow Folder Locations, Output Path or Alteryx Installation Path refer to the Initial Setup section. For a new license, please contact WAM@CapitalizeConsulting.com

Homepage

When WAM is opened, you will be defaulted to the Homepage. There are five main sections with the default being the Reporting panel.

1. Navigation Bar – contains the following options:

3. File – used to access Settings.
4. View – used to navigate between modules.
5. Help – provides access to user documentation.

2. Panel Tabs – allows for navigation between the five panels (reporting is the default when WAM is opened). There are five main panels within WAM:

5. Reporting – allows the user to run various reports on selected workflows (default view).
6. Connections – allows the user to mass update and search connections. The eyeball       to the left of the Workflow Search allows a user to view or hide the full path of the workflows in the workflow viewer. 
7. Fields – allows the user to mass update and search fields and data types.
8. Track Changes – allows the user to track changes to workflows over time.
9. Palette – allows the user to define and create custom palettes that can overlay selected workflows with color schemes, standard fonts, logo, owner/update details, and overall text.

3. Workflow Viewer – displays a list of workflows that action can be taken on within WAM. These are populated from the file paths added within the File > Settings section.

4. Configuration Section – this section will update to provide configuration section per panel. The default will be Audit Report since this is the configuration section for Reporting.

Reporting

The Reporting Panel is the main location to generate reports. This panel allows you to run six different reports on as many workflows as needed. There are five reports.

 

Audit Report

The Audit Report contains summary and detail information about the configuration of a workflow within a Microsoft Word Document. It will also contain multiple sections that can included or excluded on the output. You can also customize the report Tool Categories, Report Sections and customize the flow graph. Each audit report also contains a PDF or SVG version of the flow graph, which is saved in the directory defined in your WAM settings.

If the ‘Open File Explorer after run’ is selected the Audit Report(s) generated will be shown in the Audit Reports folder within the File Explorer. If this option is not checked, the reports can still be found in the Audit Reports folder specified under Settings > Output Path.

Flow Graph

The Flow Graph is a subset of the Audit Report or a standalone report. Selecting this report will generate PDF(s) that shows the icons, names, and annotations per tool to gain quick insight for all workflows selected on the Workflow Viewer. After creation, Flow Graph reports open by default but are also saved in the Flow Graphs folder specified under Settings > Output Path. There is no configuration required for this report, simply click the icon under Standard Reports.

Steps List

The Steps List report is a Microsoft Excel CSV file that contains a list of tools, the order of execution and associated annotations that are included in the workflow. After creation, Steps List reports will be shown in the Steps List folder within the File Explorer under the folder specified within Settings > Output Path. There is no configuration required for this report, simply click the icon under Standard Reports.

Versions Overview

The Versions Overview report is a Microsoft Word Document that lists the workflows by the version it was created it. It will also denote if a version is depreciated and when. After creation, Versions Overview reports will be shown in the Version Overview folder within the File Explorer under the folder specified within Settings > Output Path. There is no configuration required for this report, simply click the icon under Standard Reports.

Data Sources

The Data Source report contains two outputs, an excel file containing all the data source metadata and an HTML report containing visualizations and a summary of workflows by data source. The excel file is split up into two sheets, File Connections and Database Connections. You can customize the report to specify which workflows to analyze and which outputs to generate. If the ‘Open Outputs on Completion’ is selected the Data Source reports generated will be shown in the Data Source folder within the File Explorer. If this option is not checked, the reports can still be found in the Data Source folder for the specified Output Path (managed under Settings). 

Connections

The Connections panel provides the ability to update Input/Output connections across one or more workflows without having to open Alteryx. 

Connection Search

Allows you to search Input and/or Output connections based on key words. 

 

To search connections:

1. Enter the search term in the text box. 
2. Select if you would like to search Inputs and/or Outputs. 
3. Select if you would like to a Data Source or Data Selection. 

2. Data Source – allows you to update the File Path or Database connection.
3. Data Selection – allows you to update the sheet name (Excel file) or Query (database connection)

4. Click ‘Search’. Workflows containing the search term will display in the Workflow Viewer. By default, all workflows will be shown until search criteria is entered. 

Connection Update

Allows you to update Input and/or Output connections based on key words. You must search for a key term to make an update. If no search is entered, then no update can be made. 

To update connections: 

1. Follow the steps to search a connection.
2. Enter the text to replace the search term in the text box. 
3. Check the box to ‘Replace Search Term Only’ or leave unchecked to replace the entire connection string. 
4. Check the box to create a version name. If no ‘Custom Version Name’ is entered a date time stamp will be entered by default. If text is entered, the text will be appended to the file name.
5. Click ‘Update’. The connection will be updated based on the specifications.

Connection Details

This section displays the Input and/or Output connection information for selected workflows within the Workflow Viewer. To view details:

1. Select the desired workflow(s) from the Workflow Viewer. 
2. Click ‘Load Details’. The connection details will be displayed in the Connection Details section. 
3. To export the information to CSV, click the download icon.  These reports will be saved to the Connection Details Exports folder under the folder specified within Settings > Output Path.

*If search criteria are already specified the Connection Details will filter based on that criteria. 

Fields

The Fields panel provides the ability to search and update fields and data types across one or more workflows without having to open Alteryx. 

Field Search

Allows you to search Input and/or Output fields and data types based on key words. 

To search fields:

1. Enter the search term in the text box. 
2. If desired, update the Tool dropdown to search only specific tools or leave the default to search all Tools. 
3. Select if you would like to search a Tool Name, Data Type, Data Size or Expression under the Type dropdown.
4. Click ‘Search’. Workflows containing the search term will display in the Workflow Viewer. By default, all workflows will be shown until search criteria is entered. 

Field Update

Allows you to update Input and/or Output fields based on key words. You must search for a key term to make an update. If no search is entered, then no update can be made. 

To update fields, data types, data sizes or expressions: 

1. Follow the steps to search a field, data type, data size or expression.
2. Enter the text to replace the search term in the text box. 
3. Check the box to create a version name. If no ‘Custom Version Name’ is entered a date time stamp will be entered by default. If text is entered, the text will be appended to the file name.
4. Click ‘Update’. A field, data type, data size or expression will be updated based on the specifications.

Note: In some situations, a tool type might be present under ‘Search’ and not ‘Update’. This allows a user to selectively identify workflows in the workflow viewer under situations where an update is not possible for broader use in WAM. 

Field Details

This section displays the Input and/or Output field information for selected workflows within the Workflow Viewer. To view details:

1. Select the desired workflow(s) from the Workflow Viewer. 
2. Click ‘Load Details’. The field details will be displayed in the Field Details section. 
3. To export the information to CSV, click the download icon.  These reports will be saved to the Connection Details Exports folder under the folder specified within Settings > Output Path.

*If search criteria are already specified the Field Details will filter based on that criteria. 

Track Changes

The Track Changes panel allows you to track workflows over time and provides details on what has changed from version to version.

Add New Workflows

To add a workflow to track changes while WAM is open.

1. Add From Workflow Viewer – select the desired workflow within the Workflow Viewer then click the ‘Add From Workflow Viewer’. The workflow will be shown under the Tracked Workflows section. 

Manage Tracked Workflows

Once a workflow has been added to the Track Workflows using the instructions above you can begin making changes to the workflow. Every 15 minutes WAM will automatically sweep for changes. However, at any time you can select the following options:

2. Commit Changes – will track any changes made to the workflow and add a version under Workflow Versions. 
3. Stop Tracking – will stop tracking changes made to the workflow shown in the Tracked Workflows section. In addition, the Tracked Workflows and Workflow Versions sections will be cleared. 

Tracked Workflows

Displays the workflows currently being tracked for changes. If multiple workflows are shown you can select one to see the associated versions in the Workflow Versions section.

Reports

When tracking a workflow, you may want to create a report that shows you what changes were made between versions. 

To run a Change History Report:

1. Select the workflow you want to report on from the Tracked Workflows section. 
2. Click ‘Change History Report’. The report will be shown within the Change History Reports folder and these reports will be saved to under the folder specified within Settings > Output Path.

Manage Workflow Version

All workflow versions that changes are being tracked for are read-only within the WAM UI. 

To download an editable copy of a workflow version:

1. Select the desired workflow from the Tracked Workflows section.
2. Select the desired version from the Workflow Versions. 

3. Click ‘Download Copy’. The workflow will be shown within the Version Copies folder and will be saved to under the folder specified within Settings > Output Path.

If a change is made and a new version is created, you can restore any version as main from the list shown in the Workflow Versions section. 

To restore a version as main: 

1. Select the workflow you wish to set as the main version. 
2. A warning will appear. Click ‘OK’ to continue. The desired version will replace the existing main version.

Workflow Versions

Displays the versions of a workflow for which you are tracking changes. 

Palette

The Palette Module allows you to take your custom base palette provided by Capitalize Analytics, make edits to areas, such as colors, shapes, justification, sizes, and apply that overarching template to selected workflows. 

Loading the Template

1. Navigate to the base template that Capitalize provided in the Workflow Viewer, under Palette.
2. Press “Load Template”

3. To make changes to the default palette, ensure that “Create New” is selected under “Select Palette”.

1. If a new palette is desired, give it a unique name.

4. Once the palette is either created or a user determines that the default template is the best choice, press “Save” in the right corner to load and save the template settings. The user should receive a message that the updates have saved. 

5. The user can select the workflows in which to apply the chosen template in the Workflow Viewer. Note: The desired Palette must be selected in the “Select Palette” box. 

6. When ready, the user can press “Apply to Workflows” to overlay the template onto the existing workflow. A pop-up allows the user to confirm the entry. The user must escape from the screen once a pop-up indicates that the Palette has been applied. 

7. To confirm at the overlay worked as expected, the user can open the workflow directly from WAM, but right-clicking on the workflow and opening in Alteryx. Note: The Alteryx installation path must be defined in the WAM settings for this to occur.

8. The user will find the template applied to the workflow and can adjust accordingly.