Use Case:
During training, more often than not, our coaches will provide us with a folder containing example datasets for us to practice with or connect to while other times our coaches would use the Text Input tool to manually input text in order to provide a clearer example of how some tools work.
Another use case for the Text Input tool is creating a lookup table to provide additional context to the main dataset. A lookup table is referenced to provide additional information. For example, if there was a dataset that referenced 10 of the 50 states within the United States and they were listed by a code 101,102, so on and so forth, and not by the state name, the lookup table would have the number and the name of the state associated with that number. Instead of creating the table within Excel and bringing that dataset in using the Input Data tool, if you knew which states correlate with each number, an alternative option would be to create the lookup table directly using the Text Input tool, similar to using VLookup in Excel. This had me thinking, well, what are the differences between the Text Input tool and the Input Data tool?
Differences:
When it comes to the Text Input tool:
◆ The data lives within the workflow
◆ When the workflow is shared, the workflow will already contain the table with the lookup values and not require additional steps to share the table
◆ Values are static
When it comes to the Input Data tool:
◆ The data lives outside the workflow and is usually saved to the local drive
◆ When the workflow is shared, the files must also be exported and saved as a .yxzp in order for the data files used to be included with the workflow
◆ Values can be updated when the dataset is updated
Configuration:
To use the Text Input tool, drag it from the tool palette onto the canvas
Notice that there are now cell(s) in the configuration where you can enter the data values. The top where the “...” are is where you can enter the field name and values go below. Hitting run will allow the table you’ve created populate the result window:
Alteryx Designer automatically configures the data type based on the values that you’ve manually entered and you can see the data type by clicking on “Metadata” in the Results window:
Keyboard Navigation:
When typing values into the cells, I don’t always enjoy having to move my hand from the keyboard to the mouse and back, especially when there are more convenient and efficient ways to navigate by using other keys on the keyboard.
◆ Hit Tab to move the cursor from left to right
◆ Using Shift + Tab moves the cursor from right to left
◆ Press the Up and Down arrow keys to move the cursor from row to row
Lookup tables can come in handy during analysis, especially when we cannot edit the original dataset. Hope this helps you better understand the Text Input tool and with that, let's analyze away!