Alteryx Designer: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 6. Joining Your Data

“A SQL query goes to a bar, walks up to two tables and asks…

…Can I join you?”

Ah, data jokes never get old! Joins are one of the most commonly used tools and for the right measure. They allow a key functionality in Alteryx—joining data sets from multiple data sources easily and efficiently. Some join tools, however, can be challenging to use if you don’t learn how they operate and, more specifically, how to think about joining data. It’s important to note that relational databases are built on the key principles of set theory; some would argue they’re built entirely on these principles. It’s also important to understand how set theory works in order to make the most of joins in Alteryx and even troubleshoot why you might be missing data or be unable to join two data sets. Don’t worry, I’ll make it very easy for you!

After training and talking with so many Designer users over the years, I have uncovered some ideas that help make understanding Designer easier. I try to find simple ideas that set new Designer users on a path to approach learning a concept quickly and easily. For example, when I think about joins in their basic form, I start by asking myself: do I need to join data vertically or horizontally? Vertically means I want two data sets to stack on top of each other. Horizontally means I want to join two data sets by using their common fields. This distinction has helped a lot of people think about which tools they need to use from the start. ...