Coming from…
Coming from Alteryx
A Designer workflow and a Locra workflow look alike: tools on a canvas, wired left to
right, and you check each step's output as you build. The main differences are where you
look at data, how reusable pieces work, and that every run happens on your own machine.
How Alteryx ideas map
| In Alteryx | In Locra |
|---|
| Workflow (.yxmd) | A workflow on the canvas, saved in a project folder. You can import your .yxmd files (see below). |
| Tools and the tool palette | Nodes. Right-click the canvas, or press ⌘K, and search. Alteryx tool names work. |
| Configuration window | The Attributes panel on the right shows the selected node's settings. |
| Browse tool, Results window | No tool needed. Select any node and its output shows in the dock under the canvas: Data, Metadata, and Map, Chart or Report on the nodes that draw them. |
| Formula expressions | Add Column computes new columns with SQL formulas, for example Price - Cost. Filter builds conditions and can compare against a SQL expression. |
| Tool Container, Comment | A comment region drawn behind the nodes: toolbar ⋯ → Draw → Region. Each node also has its own notes. |
| Standard macro | A named function: a group of nodes that collapses into one box with its own inputs and outputs. |
| Batch macro | A loop drawn around the nodes, which runs them once per row or file of a table. |
| Iterative macro | A loop in iterate until done mode: each pass feeds the next until the output is empty or a cap is reached. |
| Gallery and Server schedules | Cloud runs: deploy the project and run it on a schedule. To show a workflow to someone, send a read-only share link. |
| Run, and the cache | Run the workflow from the toolbar. Every node keeps its last output, and a badge tells you which nodes are up to date and which need a re-run. |
Import your Alteryx workflows
You don't have to rebuild your workflows by hand. On the start page, use the
Open project card and pick an Alteryx file: workflows (.yxmd), apps (.yxwz),
macros (.yxmc) and packaged workflows (.yxzp) all work. The import runs fully offline and
gives you a runnable project.
- Tools Locra knows become configured nodes, and their formulas are translated.
- Macros with one input and one output are unpacked into the workflow.
- A tool with no equivalent becomes a Code Gen placeholder, marked so you can find it, with guidance on what it did.
- Comment boxes become comment regions. App interface tools are removed, with a warning.
- Data inside a package is copied into the project, and .yxdb files are converted to Parquet.
When it finishes, an import report lists every tool, how it came across, and any warnings.
Read it before your first run.
Not in Locra yet
Some Designer tools have no Locra equivalent yet. The biggest gaps are the predictive modelling tools and app interface tools. When you type one of these names, the menu shows the hint below instead of a node.
| Alteryx name | What to do instead |
|---|
| Decision Tree, Forest Model, Boosted Model, Logistic Regression, Neural Network, Score | Not supported yet; fit the model in a Code Gen node |
| ARIMA | No ARIMA; the Forecast node fits exponential smoothing or seasonal naive |
| Text Box, Drop Down, Check Box, List Box, Radio Button | No app UI builder; feed values through a node's params input instead |
| Google BigQuery Input, Google Sheets Input, SharePoint List Input, MongoDB Input | Not supported yet; try REST Fetch / HTTP Request against its API |
| Image Input, Image to Text, PDF to Text, Barcode Tool | No image/PDF processing; write it in a Code Gen node |
| Calgary Input, Calgary Join | No Calgary indexes; Parquet + DuckDB Query give fast indexed reads |
| CASS | No US address certification; Geocode matches to street level |
| Parse Address | No address parser; try the Extract node or Regex Extract |
| Runner | Not supported; run each project separately or schedule cloud runs |
| Tableau Output, Publish to Tableau Server | Not supported; write Parquet/CSV for Tableau to load |
| Microsoft Power BI Output | Not supported; write Parquet/CSV for Power BI to load |
| Word Cloud | No word-cloud chart; Value Counts + a bar Chart is the closest |
| Finance functions in imported workflows (FinancePMT, FinanceNPV, …) | The importer doesn't translate them yet; typed into Add Column they work, see the tip below |
Tips for Alteryx users
- Type the Alteryx name. In the add-node menu or the ⌘K palette, Summarize finds Aggregate and Record ID finds Add Row Number, each with an Alteryx: chip.
- Import first, then fix. Open your .yxmd with the Open project card, read the import report, and look for the Code Gen placeholders: those are the tools that need your attention.
- Drop the Browse habit. Click any node to see its output in the dock under the canvas. The Metadata tab shows each column's type, like the Field Info view.
- Alteryx's finance functions work when you type them:
FinancePMT(0.005, 360, -250000, 0, 0) gives 1498.88, which Alteryx's documentation rounds to 1499. FinanceNPV, FinanceIRR and the other cash-flow functions take a list, FinanceNPV(0.1, list(cashflow ORDER BY period)), where Designer lists the values one by one. Excel's names (PMT, NPV, …) work too; see Formulas and finance functions.
- Formulas are SQL. Add Column takes formulas such as
Price - Cost, one per new column, and Add column adds another. When you need a full SQL query, use DuckDB Query, or Code Gen to have AI write Python for you.
- Try a Dry run before writing anywhere. The Run button's menu has Dry run: your writers really run, but into a throwaway place, so nothing reaches the real destination.