Coming from KNIME

KNIME users feel at home quickly: nodes on a canvas, connected by ports, each with a status you can read at a glance. The differences are in how Locra handles variables, loops and reusable pieces, and that you never configure a node in a pop-up dialog.

How KNIME ideas map

In KNIME	In Locra
Workflow	A workflow on the canvas, saved in a project folder on your machine.
Node repository	The add-node menu (right-click the canvas) and the `⌘K` palette. KNIME node names work.
Configure dialog	The Attributes panel on the right shows the selected node's settings. No dialog to open and close.
Execute, node status lights	Run the workflow from the toolbar. Each node's badge says whether its output is up to date or needs a re-run.
Output port table, Node Monitor	Select a node and its output shows in the dock under the canvas: Data, Metadata, and Map, Chart or Report on the nodes that draw them.
Metanodes and components	Named functions: a group of nodes that collapses into one box with its own inputs and outputs.
Loop Start / Loop End pairs	A loop is one frame drawn around the nodes. It runs them once per row or file of a table, or repeats until done.
Flow variables	No flow variables. Wire a one-row table into a node's parameter input instead.
Annotations	Comment regions (toolbar ⋯ → Draw → Region) and per-node notes.
KNIME Hub schedules and deployments	Cloud runs run a project on a schedule. A read-only share link shows someone your workflow.

KNIME names in Locra

The most-used KNIME names and what to reach for here. You can type any of them into the add-node menu or the ⌘K palette: the matching node shows a chip with the KNIME name, so you learn the Locra name as you go. Where two nodes are listed, the first is the closest match.

Readers and writers

KNIME name	In Locra
CSV Reader	CSV Reader
CSV Writer	Write CSV
Excel Reader	Excel Reader
Excel Writer	Write Excel
Parquet Reader	Parquet Reader
Parquet Writer	Write Parquet
JSON Reader	JSON Reader
List Files/Folders	Directory (Add data source, Folder); File then reads each path

Databases and web

KNIME name	In Locra
DB Reader	DB Reader
DB Writer	Write to DB
DB Query	DuckDB Query
PostgreSQL Connector	DB Reader or Write to DB
GET Request	REST Fetch
POST Request	HTTP Request
Send Email	Email

Rows

KNIME name	In Locra
Row Filter	Filter
Row Splitter	Switch
Duplicate Row Filter	Distinct or Flag Duplicates
Row Sampler	Random Sample or Row Limit
Sorter	Sort
Top k Row Filter	Top / Bottom N
Concatenate	Union
RowID	Add Row Number

Columns

KNIME name	In Locra
Column Filter	Select Columns
Column Renamer	Rename
Column Auto Type Cast	Parse or Cast Types
String to Number	Cast Types or Parse
Expression	Add Column
Rule Engine	Add Column or Switch
String Manipulation	Text Operations or Add Column
String Replacer	Text Operations or Replace Values
Cell Splitter	Split to Columns or Split to Rows
Missing Value	Fill Missing or Interpolate NULLs

Aggregation, joins and reshaping

KNIME name	In Locra
GroupBy	Aggregate or Group Aggregate
Pivot	Pivot
Unpivot	Unpivot
Value Counter	Value Counts
Joiner	Join
Cross Joiner	Cross Join
Value Lookup	Lookup or Join
Lag Column	Shift / Lag
Moving Average	Rolling Window or Exponential Weighted Mean

Date and time

KNIME name	In Locra
String to Date&Time	Parse or Cast Types
Date&Time Difference	Date/Time Arithmetic
Date&Time Part Extractor	Extract Date/Time Parts
Date Shifter	Date/Time Arithmetic
Time Zone Modifier	Convert Timezone

Statistics and data quality

KNIME name	In Locra
Statistics	Describe
Data Explorer	Describe or Column Profile
Numeric Outliers	Outlier Flag
Table Validator	Assert
Linear Regression Learner	Linear Regression

Flow control and scripting

KNIME name	In Locra
IF Switch	Gate
CASE Switch Start	Gate
Empty Table Switch	Gate
Wait...	No timed or file waits; Wait For holds a branch until other steps finish
Chunk Loop Start	Use a Loop over a table of items (e.g. a Constant Table)
Table Row to Variable	No flow variables; wire a one-row table in as a parameter
Python Script	Code Gen

Geospatial

KNIME name	In Locra
Lat/Lon to Geometry	Make Point
Projection	Reproject
Buffer	Buffer
Spatial Join	Spatial Join
Dissolve	Dissolve, or Aggregate's Union (dissolve) to keep statistics per group
Geocoding	Geocode
Road Network Isochrone Map	Isochrone
Geospatial View	Map; the Map tab under the canvas

Views and reports

KNIME name	In Locra
Bar Chart	Chart; the Chart tab under the canvas
Line Plot	Chart; the Chart tab under the canvas
Scatter Plot	Chart; the Chart tab under the canvas
Table View	Table Section; the Data tab under the canvas
Report PDF Writer	Write Report

Commands

KNIME name	In Locra
Execute	Run: the toolbar's Run button, or `⌘↵`
Cancel	Stop run in the `⌘K` palette
Node Monitor	the Data or Metadata tabs under the canvas
K-AI	Extend with AI opens the Assistant pane
Create Schedule	Deploy & schedule to cloud in the toolbar's ⋯ menu
Export Workflow	Export as Python library… in the toolbar's ⋯ menu
Share	Share… in the toolbar's ⋯ menu makes a read-only link

Not in Locra yet

KNIME has a much larger node repository than Locra. The biggest gaps are machine-learning learners and predictors, statistical tests, widgets and file management. When you type one of these names, the menu shows the hint below instead of a node.

KNIME name	What to do instead
Decision Tree Learner, Random Forest Learner, k-Means, Logistic Regression Learner	No built-in ML models yet; ask Code Gen to write one in Python
PMML Writer, PMML Reader, Model Writer, Model Reader	No PMML or model files; not supported
Single Selection Widget, String Widget, Refresh Button Widget	No interactive widgets or dashboards yet
String Configuration, Integer Configuration	No configuration dialogs; wire values from a Constant Table
Independent groups t-test, One-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis Test	No statistical tests yet; ask Code Gen to write one in Python
Try (Data Ports), Catch Errors (Data Ports)	No try/catch; a failing node stops its branch. Inside a Loop, turn on Continue on error to skip failing items
Create Folder, Delete Files/Folders, Decompress Files	No file-management nodes yet; manage files outside Locra
XPath, XML to JSON	Read .xml files with XML Reader and set its Record path; for XML text in a column, use a Code Gen node
Microsoft SQL Server Connector, Oracle Connector	Only PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite and Snowflake are supported
DB Updater, DB Merger, DB Row Deleter	Not supported; only create, replace and append writes exist
Container Input (Table), Container Input (JSON)	Workflows cannot be called as services yet
SARIMA Learner (Labs)	Forecast (exponential smoothing or seasonal naive); for SARIMA itself, ask Code Gen to write it in Python
Global Moran's I, Local Moran's I	No spatial autocorrelation stats yet; try Code Gen

Tips for KNIME users

Type the KNIME name. GroupBy finds Aggregate, Joiner finds Join and Column Filter finds Select Columns, each with a KNIME: chip in the add-node menu and the ⌘K palette.
Replace flow variables with a parameter table. Put the value in a Constant Table and wire it into the node's parameter input; Filter, Add Column and file names can all read from it.
Loops have no start and end nodes. Select the nodes to repeat and draw a loop around them (toolbar ⋯ → Draw → Loop), then wire the table of items into it.
Turn a metanode into a named function the same way: select the nodes and draw a named function around them. It collapses to one box you can run on its own.
Outputs are cached for you. There is no Cache node and no Reset: Run re-runs only what changed, and the badges show what is stale.