Migrate Spatial Alteryx Workflows
PlaidCloud converts Alteryx spatial workflows into Advanced workflows built from geospatial steps. Every tool in the Alteryx Spatial palette has a route — the spatial tool coverage table lists them tool by tool, along with the known gaps.
This guide covers the mechanics: packaging the files, running the import, and validating the result. For what the steps do once converted, see Geospatial Analytics.
Package Spatial Inputs
Section titled “Package Spatial Inputs”Collect every spatial dependency before you import. A converted workflow can only read the files you brought with it.
- Shapefile groups:
.shpwith.shx,.dbf, and.prj. - MapInfo groups:
.tabwith.map,.id, and.dat. - KML and GeoJSON files.
- Lookup tables that join spatial and non-spatial records.
- The expected spatial outputs, for validation.
Keep each group’s sidecars in the same folder as its main file — Spatial File Import reads them from alongside it.
How Spatial Tools Convert
Section titled “How Spatial Tools Convert”Conversion picks the simplest route that gives the right answer, and the route determines how the step scales.
Database (SQL) route. Create Points and Distance become Table Extract expressions; Spatial Match and Find Nearest become Spatial Match and Spatial Find Nearest. These run entirely in the warehouse, so they scale with the table.
Workflow-engine route. Everything that reshapes geometry — Buffer, Trade Area, Generalize, Smooth, Process, Poly-Build, Poly-Split, Make Grid, Combine, Spatial Info, and the spatial file import — runs in the workflow engine on Shapely and GDAL, because the work is not expressible in database SQL.
Reporting. Map and Report Map become Report Map steps; the Heat Map and Pie Wedge Trade Area packaged macros become packaged macro steps.
Every converted step is a first-class step type you can open, edit, and rebuild by hand — with two exceptions noted in Known Spatial Gaps.
Validate Geometry
Section titled “Validate Geometry”For spatial output parity, compare:
- Output schema.
- Row count.
- Key field values.
- Geometry values, or measurements derived from the geometry.
- Coordinate reference behavior.
- Distances, areas, and simplified geometry, against an accepted tolerance.
Row order does not need to match unless the workflow depends on ordering.
Validate Spatial Artifacts
Section titled “Validate Spatial Artifacts”For maps and report maps, confirm:
- Map layers contain the expected records.
- Labels and grouped features are correct.
- Boundaries, points, and polygons appear in the expected locations.
- The artifact is usable by downstream reviewers.
- Any intentional cloud-native artifact difference is recorded.
Report renderers are an approximation of the Alteryx output — validate the table behind a map before comparing the visual layout.
Common Spatial Issues
Section titled “Common Spatial Issues”| Symptom | Check |
|---|---|
| Import produces rows with empty geometry | Sidecar files present in the same folder |
| Coordinates land in the wrong place | Projection file (.prj) present; Create Points coordinate mode is floating-point lon/lat |
| Areas or lengths differ from the original | Planar versus geodesic measurement, per the note above |
| A Spatial Info column is missing | The measure may be one of the skipped info types; conversion names it in a note |
| Trade areas are the wrong size | Drive-time sizing does not convert — only fixed radius |
| Row counts differ | Same source data used in both runs |