Before we get into the basics, we have to answer the most basic question: What is Alteryx?

Alteryx is a codeless self-service ETL application intended to be useful for seasoned experts while remaining accessible for individuals with less technical expertise. It enables users to integrate, prepare, and mix numerous data sources before using analytical techniques to acquire a deeper understanding of the data.

Alteryx is an easy-to-use data analysis Tool with a plethora of features. It includes drag-and-drop building blocks for data processing, data analysis, and the development of autonomous data pipelines without the need for programming skills.

Alteryx Application and Uses

Alteryx provides processes in easy-to-understand visual presentations instead of inscrutable lines of codes that most analysts are accustomed to seeing in other solutions.

The workflow generation process in Alteryx may be utilized as a sort of process documentation, allowing users to review, collaborate, maintain, and enhance the process.

When using Alteryx, users can read and write data from databases, files, and APIs, with the following major applications and uses:

• API, cloud, and hybrid access.
• Database access and supplementing SQL development.
• Combining and manipulating data in spreadsheets.
• Geospatial analysis.
• Data Science.
• Reports and dashboards.

To appreciate it more, let’s talk about the basics of what you can do with Alteryx.

The Basics of What You Can Do with Alteryx

Alteryx can replace the vast majority of manual Excel functions and automate any queries, files, or reports your firm or team manages, merges, and calculates in Excel to generate reporting, audits, reconciliations, or other sophisticated data activities.

Alteryx can also be used for one-time inquiries involving data from several sources when Excel was previously the preferred tool.

The basics of the platform revolve around the ability to:

1.    Automate Data Processing Using Apps

The Alteryx Analytic Process Automation (APA) Platform automates machine learning, analytics, and data science operations from start to finish, providing the flexibility required to drive digital transformation. Users can automate data science and analytics, implement intelligent decision-making, and empower their employees to create quicker, superior business results with the Alteryx APA Platform.

Instead of educating someone on Alteryx, if they come to you with a relatively laborious data-cleaning procedure, you may design an app that they can use to perform a workflow with a pleasant interface.

You can skip all the manual cleaning you will have to do when leveraging Excel because with the app created, the users can choose file inputs, add their data, select columns, and so on, and the process will run and show the results of the cleaned data.

This is a fantastic technique to assist less knowledgeable teams with data analytics while saving them the trouble of completing time-consuming and difficult recurring data processing chores.

2.    Operate Without Writing Code

Instead of using lines of Python code, you can now complete functions using Alteryx tools. To link the tool to your work, drag it onto the canvas area. You may also alter the tools to a certain extent in the settings panel.

Alteryx provides tools for almost anything, including renaming, filtering, removing, generating columns with elaborate calculations, and merging data. It’s simpler than processing data in Python (at least for a beginner to intermediate coder) and much faster than handling data in Excel.

Analysts who use Excel tools may struggle to master coding languages like Python, but Alteryx’s drag-and-drop features make learning easier.

3.    Easier Succession/Transitioning Phases

Because Alteryx is a visual tool, it’s simple to open up and comprehend what’s happening behind the scenes, even if you don’t have a lot of technical expertise.

Looking at a Python script might be intimidating if you are not a coding expert. It might also be intimidating to inherit an Excel worksheet with tons of sheets, concealed columns, pivot tables, and other features. When you need to describe your data processing to a newbie, Alteryx comes in handy.

The structure of the canvas and the method used to link the tools effectively turns your approach into a flowchart. This dramatically simplifies the process of walking someone else through your procedure step by step. Users can also add containers to their processes to create segments and remarks to produce documentation.

4.    Integrate With Multiple Systems

All this integration allows it to offer you the following:

• Data science and machine learning
• Business intelligence
• RPA and bots
• Data wrangling
• Visualization, etc.

For instance, Alteryx integrates various data sources, notably APIs, spreadsheets, Amazon S3, and SQL databases. Alteryx is at the core of Snowflake and Tableau (as well as any visualization or BI tool), assisting you in getting the most out of your data.

It speeds up drag-and-drop data science, data preparation, and analysis with Snowflake in-database processing and powers your Tableau dashboard.

Combining AWS with the capabilities of the Alteryx APA Platform allows quick access to data and analytics from the cloud, on-premises, and hybrid sources, as well as seamless connection with Redshift, Athena, and Aurora.

With this, companies can create a self-service environment for analysts and business users to swiftly get insights and push outcomes straight into BI, as well as visual dashboards and apps for stakeholders, achieving business wins faster.

5.    Validate Data Easily

To validate data by looking at a sample, click on the green arrows to the right of your Alteryx tools. With the platform, you can test your formulae, filters, and other features you included to make sure that each one is working as intended without the need to write many print statements or create a bunch of distinct outputs.

If you need more information to ensure your process is operating correctly, bring in a browsing tool, which will display descriptive data in a specific column.

Conclusion

So, do you need Alteryx? Whatever your company/organization provides, some procedures are time-consuming data that can’t be obtained quickly enough. Suppliers, vendors, consumers, and governments are producing and anticipating more data than ever before. Internal teams are gathering more data, sharing more, and requesting more information than ever.

Markets are more competitive, and margins are less than ever; therefore, precise data is essential. Everyone wants quick reactions and pinpoint precision. You’re probably in trouble if your staff isn’t embracing technology and focusing on continual improvement.

Alteryx is not a panacea, but if your organization is as dependent on Excel, SQL, and manual procedures as seen in many sectors worldwide, you might want to, at the very least, check out Alteryx.