Alteryx One launch aims to unify, simplify vendor's platform
The updated version of the data integration vendor's platform aims to make it easier to prepare data for AI and analytics, while new GenAI tools further simplify data preparation.
Alteryx on Wednesday launched Alteryx One, a new version of the vendor's platform that unifies previously disparate capabilities such as analytics automation and no-code data preparation.
In addition to Alteryx One, the vendor unveiled AI capabilities such as a tool that automates reporting tasks, a generative AI (GenAI) assistant that enables users to build workflows with natural language, a tool that eliminates the need to move data between cloud data platforms and Alteryx, and governance features to help customers manage risk as they expand use of AI.
All are part of Alteryx's spring release and were introduced during Inspire, the vendor's user conference in Las Vegas.
While Alteryx has long provided customers with capabilities enabling them to integrate and prepare data, the vendor was slow to react when data management transitioned to the cloud. In addition, Alteryx was slow to integrate new technologies added through acquisitions such as the purchases of Trifacta, Hyper Anna and Clearstory, making its platform difficult to learn and unwieldy even for experienced users.
The result was heavy turnover at the executive level, and ultimately, the sale to private equity firms in December 2023.
Alteryx addressed its slow transition to the cloud and ultimately released a cloud-native version of its platform in February 2023. Now, with the launch of Alteryx One and the introduction of GenAI tools that make Alteryx's capabilities more user-friendly, the vendor is demonstrating that it is trying to make its platform easier to navigate, according to Donald Farmer, founder and principal of TreeHive Strategy.
This release shows that Alteryx has been listening. There's a ton of work here to integrate their offerings and to refocus on the analytic workflow that [used to be] one of their core strengths.
Donald FarmerFounder and principal, TreeHive Strategy
"This release shows that Alteryx has been listening," he said. "There's a ton of work here to integrate their offerings and to refocus on the analytic workflow that [used to be] one of their core strengths."
Based in Irvine, Calif., Alteryx is a data management vendor whose platform enables users to integrate and prepare data for analysis. Competitors include Informatica, Qlik and SAP, among others.
New capabilities
Alteryx has provided customers with data preparation and integration capabilities for decades.
Over time, however, Alteryx has added numerous capabilities through both acquisitions as well as its own product development that have made its platform less unified than those of some other vendors. Automation capabilities are in one environment with low-code data preparation and data governance in others, and each has to be paid for separately under a complex licensing structure.
Alteryx One addresses that lack of unification, bringing analytics automation, low-code/no-code data preparation and blending, AI assistance, cloud flexibility and data governance together in a single environment. In addition, it comes with a subscription-based pricing model featuring one license per user.
While the platform aims to make it easier for customers to use the vendor's tools, it was those customers that provided the impetus for Alteryx One's development, according to Ben Canning, the vendor's chief product officer.
Customers "told us that they would love to take advantage of different parts of the system, but it's too complicated to manage license keys and user licenses and figure out how to deploy each part," he said. "There was lots of flexibility, but there was too much friction, so we had to make it more clear how to get the full value out of the platform."
Given that Alteryx One addresses one of the primary criticisms of the vendor's platform, it is a significant addition, according to David Menninger, an analyst at ISG Software Research.
"Alteryx One represents a significant rationalization of the product lines," he said. "I believe the naming -- Alteryx One -- represents what they are trying to accomplish."
Ease of deployment, which includes options to access Alteryx One via desktop applications or the cloud, also demonstrates the effort Alteryx is making to simplify using its platform, Menninger added.
Beyond launching Alteryx One, the vendor unveiled new AI-powered capabilities also aimed at simplifying the use of the platform, including the public preview of Alteryx Copilot, the general availability of Magic Reports and private preview of GenAI Tools.
Alteryx Copilot is a generative AI-powered assistant that enables users to build workflows and automate repetitive tasks in Alteryx Designer, the vendor's no-code environment for data preparation, using natural language prompts.
Magic Reports enables users to generate customized reports using automation and AI capabilities.
GenAI Tools enables users to embed large language models from vendors such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic in data-informed applications to automatically generate context-aware insights and automate processes to make workers better informed and more efficient.
In addition, as enterprises increase their investments in AI development, Alteryx is providing new governance measures to help customers manage risk. They include an AI control center to centralize oversight of AI tools and policies, credential management to ensure security and private data handling capabilities to ensure compliance.
Finally, to make it easier to access data in cloud data platforms such as Databricks and Snowflake, Alteryx is launching Live Query. The feature, part of Designer Cloud, enables users to work with data within cloud data platforms without having to move it into Alteryx -- saving data egress costs -- or replicate it.
Alteryx Copilot and Live Query stand out as most notable for users with Live Query addressing the growing data sharing trend, according to Menninger.
"Copilots and assistants are clearly valuable for users," he said. "They represent a new way of interacting with all kinds of software. Alteryx Copilot should be a welcome addition. I also consider Live Query to be significant. Enterprises don't want to continually make more and more copies of data. Live Query … makes it easier to manage and govern data in a single place."
Farmer likewise highlighted Live Query, while also noting that Magic Reports and GenAI will be valuable for users.
"For new users, Magic Reports and GenAI Tools will be very attractive if they make the power under the hood easily accessible," he said. "Live Query against cloud platforms is an important catch-up for Alteryx power users. Live Query in the cloud together with a handful of new governance features will be important for experienced users."
In total, Alteryx's spring release has something for all potential users, Farmer continued. However, whether Alteryx One and other features live up to expectations remains to be seen, he cautioned.
"Alteryx has disappointed us in the past, so I have to suspend judgment until I see Alteryx One in action in the wild," Farmer said. "But I am pleased to see the evidence that they have listened to their customer base."
Looking ahead
Beyond its Spring Release, Alteryx's roadmap will focus on improving One, adding more AI capabilities and better enabling customers to use data as a foundation for their own AI development, and further helping users connect to data in cloud data platforms, according to Canning.
"You'll continue to see Alteryx push down those three tracks," he said. "How do we make Alteryx a single, unified platform that is dramatically easier to use and manage. … And then we think we're just getting started on AI."
Focusing on adding further AI capabilities, particularly agentic AI, is prudent, according to Menninger.
"Across the industry I think the next wave of enhancements will be based around further use of generative and agentic AI to make it easier to accomplish tasks," he said.
Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget and a journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He covers analytics and data management.
