Alteryx Conversion Matrix

PlaidCloud converts Alteryx workflows, apps, and macros into Advanced workflows. The importer maps each Alteryx object to a native workflow step, macro construct, controlled variable, Document-backed file operation, or managed job executor.

Coverage levels:

• Fully Converts - converted directly to native PlaidCloud DAG behavior.
• Converts With Validation - converted to PlaidCloud behavior and should be validated against expected outputs for option-level parity.
• Converts To Executor - converted to a managed PlaidCloud job executor for specialized processing.
• Cloud-Native Equivalent - converted to a useful PlaidCloud artifact or operation that preserves the business purpose in a cloud-native form.
• Annotation Only - retained as workflow context, layout, or pass-through behavior with no separate runtime operation.

Alteryx Object	Coverage Level	PlaidCloud Operation	Notes
Action	Fully Converts	Variable binding and conditional step configuration	Updates downstream settings from converted app inputs. An update the conversion cannot apply to its target fails closed and names itself, rather than reporting success while changing nothing.
AlteryxSelect	Fully Converts	Select and schema projection step	Keeps selected, renamed, and reordered fields, and converts a field to any Alteryx data type — numeric, text, date, and time.
AppendFields	Fully Converts	Append fields transform	Appends fields from one stream to another.
AutoField	Converts With Validation	Auto field sizing transform	Preserves inferred field sizing intent; validate schema where precision matters.
BrowseV2	Annotation Only	Browse or passthrough marker	Preserved for inspection without adding runtime work.
Buffer	Converts To Executor	Spatial Buffer	Grows each geometry by a fixed distance.
CalgaryCrossCount	Converts With Validation	Calgary databases aggregate over the stand-in table	Groups indexed fields and counts each custom field’s named values; a bucket built from an Or, or wrapped in a Not, now converts too. Refuses a cross over more than one custom field — see Calgary Tool Coverage.
CalgaryInput	Converts With Validation	Calgary databases input reading the stand-in table	Applies the saved query as a filter, now including one built from an Or or wrapped in a Not. Refuses contains/starts-with/spatial queries, and a read limited by Skip Records or Max Records.
CalgaryJoin	Converts With Validation	Calgary Join matching each record against the stand-in table	Converts when the incoming field is a plain value matched to a value index, keeping the records that matched and carrying the input’s columns through; refuses, naming Spatial Match, when the field is spatial — the workflow records the index’s name but not its kind. See Calgary Tool Coverage.
CalgaryLoader	Converts With Validation	Calgary databases writing the stand-in table	Writes calgary_<database> from its input for every Calgary reader of that file to bind to. Refuses when two .cydb files of the same name would claim one table.
CheckBoxGroup	Fully Converts	Controlled workflow variable	Converts app check box choices to controlled user input.
Classification	Converts With Validation	ML Train step	Fuses with the upstream Assisted Modeling chain into a single ML Train step carrying the algorithm, target, features, and hyperparameters. When the workflow does not carry the hyperparameters, the step trains at the algorithm’s defaults and says so at reduced confidence rather than claiming a matching model.
Condition	Fully Converts	Step condition with warning or error action	Uses workflow step conditions to trigger warnings, errors, or branches.
ControlParam	Fully Converts	Macro control parameter	Maps to PlaidCloud macro parameter handling.
CreatePoints	Fully Converts	Table Extract with geom_point	Builds point geometry from longitude/latitude columns, in SQL. Non-floating-point coordinate modes are flagged rather than mis-scaled.
Create Samples	Converts With Validation	Three Table Extract steps, one per output	Splits the input into Estimation, Validation, and Holdout at the configured percentages. Each sample holds its configured share, drawn at random — not the same records Alteryx’s seed picks, and a different set on each run. See Random Sampling.
CrossTab	Fully Converts	Pivot or cross-tab transform	Converts rows to columns. Sum, Average, Count, Min, Max, Concatenate, Mode and the derived totals (Total Row/Column, Percent Row/Column) convert directly; First and Last substitute the cell’s minimum value — the pivot carries no record order — and say so; Count Non Null has no pivot equivalent and refuses, naming the method.
DataCleansePro	Converts With Validation	Data cleanse transform	Cleans whitespace, nulls, punctuation, and casing according to configured options.
Date	Fully Converts	Workflow variable date value	Emits ISO date values for downstream steps and conditions.
DateTime	Converts With Validation	Date and time transform	Converts date and time parsing or formatting logic.
DbFileInput	Converts With Validation	Document-backed file input or data materializer	Loads source files from Document into workflow data, including .yxdb, .dbf, Excel, and fixed-width .flat. A .flat needs its layout file packaged alongside the workflow; without it the step stops and names the file to supply. Alteryx .geo files are not read — the step stops rather than risk a wrong shape.
DbFileOutput	Fully Converts	Document-backed file output or table write	Writes output data to Document or PlaidCloud tables.
Detour	Fully Converts	Conditional branch routing	Converts route selection to DAG conditions.
DetourEnd	Fully Converts	Conditional branch merge	Rejoins conditionally selected branches.
Directory	Fully Converts	Document directory listing	Lists files from a Document path.
Distance	Fully Converts	Table Extract with ST_DISTANCE_SPHERE	Geodesic point-to-point distance and bearing, in SQL. Miles, kilometres, metres, feet, yards and nautical miles convert; a drive-time unit, or any unit the tool cannot convert, is refused by name rather than answered in metres under the requested unit’s column.
Download	Converts To Executor	HTTP download executor	Downloads external data or artifacts.
DropDown	Fully Converts	Controlled workflow variable	Converts app drop-down choices to controlled user input.
DynamicInput	Converts With Validation	Dynamic Document input	Resolves file patterns or variable-driven inputs at runtime.
DynamicRename	Fully Converts	Dynamic rename transform	Renames fields using metadata or configured rules. The error option set to “Error” — abort the run when a rename collides or produces an invalid name — is refused by name, because a warehouse rename cannot reproduce that abort; “Ignore” and “Warn” convert and proceed.
DynamicReplace	Converts With Validation	Dynamic replace transform	Applies replacement rules from a second data stream.
DynamicSelect	Fully Converts	Dynamic field selection transform	Selects fields by type, name, or rule.
Error	Fully Converts	Step condition with error action	Converts configured error behavior to PlaidCloud step conditions.
FileBrowse	Fully Converts	Controlled Document file variable	Lets users choose a file for a converted app run.
Filter	Fully Converts	Filter transform	Splits records by expression into true and false paths, including comparisons, text and emptiness tests, and date-period filters measured from today, tomorrow, yesterday, or a fixed date.
FindNearest	Fully Converts	Spatial Find Nearest	Runs as a distance-ranked join in the database; adds the computed distance column.
Fit	Converts With Validation	ML Train step	Collapses into the fused ML Train step; the trained model is written as a one-row model table.
FolderBrowse	Fully Converts	Controlled Document folder variable	Lets users choose a folder for a converted app run.
Formula	Fully Converts	Formula transform	Converts field expressions to PlaidCloud expressions or SQL-backed logic.
FuzzyMatch	Converts To Executor	Fuzzy matching executor	Uses managed fuzzy matching for match keys, thresholds, and candidate review.
Generalize	Converts To Executor	Spatial Generalize	Simplifies geometry to a tolerance, preserving topology.
HtmlBox	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Report text or HTML artifact	Preserves content in PlaidCloud report or artifact output.
Barcode	Converts To Executor	Barcode executor	Reads or writes barcodes in the configured symbology. A row with no readable barcode returns empty; several return a joined list.
ImageProcessing	Converts To Executor	Image transform executor	Applies the tool’s pipeline in canvas order — grayscale, scale, crop, and custom-angle rotation — writing <field>_processed. Thresholding, brightness balance, OCR optimization, and automatic alignment stop with a message naming the setting, because Alteryx records the choice but not the values needed to reproduce it.
ImageProfile	Converts To Executor	Image profile executor	Reports image dimensions, mode, format, and channel count, or luminance statistics. Column names are PlaidCloud’s — Alteryx records none.
ImageRecognition	Converts With Validation	ML Score step	Stops with a message pointing at ML Score, which reads the same trained model table. The tool’s own VGG16 transfer learning is not reproduced.
ImageTemplate	Converts With Validation	Manual region extraction	Stops with a message naming the missing page-region detection. Extract the regions with a Formula or Text step instead.
ImageToText	Converts To Executor	OCR executor	Extracts text from images through managed OCR.
Insights	Cloud-Native Equivalent	PlaidCloud dashboard or artifact output	Creates a cloud-native review artifact for repeatable sharing and review.
Join	Fully Converts	Join transform	Produces joined, left-only, and right-only streams, matched on a single- or multi-field key or by record position.
JoinMultiple	Fully Converts	Multi-join transform	Joins multiple input streams.
Label	Annotation Only	Canvas label	Preserved as workflow context.
LabelGroup	Annotation Only	Canvas label group	Preserved as workflow context.
Link	Annotation Only	Canvas link or annotation	Preserved as workflow context.
ListBox	Fully Converts	Controlled workflow variable	Converts app list selections to controlled user input.
MacroInput	Fully Converts	PlaidCloud macro input port	Maps directly to a PlaidCloud macro input step.
MacroOutput	Fully Converts	PlaidCloud macro output port	Maps directly to a PlaidCloud macro output step.
MakeGrid	Converts To Executor	Spatial Make Grid	Tiles an extent into square cells of a fixed ground size, one row per cell.
Map	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Map artifact or spatial visualization	Creates a PlaidCloud map artifact for cloud review and sharing.
MapInput	Converts With Validation	Spatial File Import	Reads MapInfo, ESRI, KML, and GeoJSON files with their sidecars. The proprietary .geo GeoFile format is rejected at conversion.
Message	Fully Converts	Step condition with warning or message action	Emits workflow warning, message, or error based on configured condition.
Modeling	Converts With Validation	ML Train step or placeholder	Fuses into the ML Train step when the pipeline’s model choice is saved in the workflow; a lone Assisted Modeling wizard is kept as a placeholder noting the recovered target variable.
MultiFieldFormula	Converts With Validation	Multi-field formula transform	Applies a formula across selected fields.
MultiRowFormula	Converts With Validation	Window or row-aware formula transform	Converts row-relative logic to PlaidCloud window behavior where possible. For rows that don’t exist, Empty (null) and Nearest (clamp to the edge record) convert; Error and a fixed user value cannot be reproduced by a window — there is no row there to fail on or seed — and refuse, naming the value, rather than silently reading a null. Group By confines the lookup to each partition.
NumericUpDown	Fully Converts	Controlled numeric workflow variable	Converts app numeric input to a typed variable.
Overlay	Converts To Executor	Spatial Process	Intersect, union, or cut two geometry columns.
PDFInput	Converts To Executor	PDF extraction executor	Extracts text or tables from PDFs.
PlotlyCharting	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Chart artifact	Creates a PlaidCloud chart artifact from converted data.
PolyBuild	Converts To Executor	Spatial Poly-Build	Builds a polygon or convex hull per group of points.
PolySplit	Converts To Executor	Spatial Poly-Split	One row per vertex, component polygon, or hole.
PortfolioComposerImage	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Report image artifact	Places images into generated PlaidCloud report artifacts.
PortfolioComposerLayout	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Report layout artifact	Converts layout intent to PlaidCloud report generation.
PortfolioComposerRender	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Report render artifact	Renders report output as a PlaidCloud artifact.
PortfolioComposerTable	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Report table artifact	Converts report table content to PlaidCloud report output.
PortfolioComposerText	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Report text artifact	Converts report text content to PlaidCloud report output.
Predict	Converts With Validation	ML Score step	Scores the data input with the trained model table and appends a predicted column. A Predict whose model input is not a converted Assisted Modeling trainer has no model table to score against and is refused by name rather than scored against an arbitrary table.
RadioButtonGroup	Fully Converts	Controlled workflow variable	Converts app radio choices to controlled user input.
Random % Sample	Converts With Validation	Table Extract with a random record position	Returns exactly the number or the percentage of records asked for. With a fixed seed set, the count is exact but the records are not the ones Alteryx’s seed picks. See Random Sampling.
RecordID	Fully Converts	Row identifier transform	Adds a deterministic record identifier in the configured type (Int16/Int32/Int64, Double or String) and start value; grouped numbering restarts within each group. Field size is not applied, so a String identifier is not zero-padded to a fixed width.
RegEx	Fully Converts	Regular expression transform	Parses, matches, or replaces text using configured expressions.
Regression	Converts With Validation	ML Train step	Fuses with the upstream Assisted Modeling chain into a single ML Train step carrying the algorithm, target, features, and hyperparameters. When the workflow does not carry the hyperparameters, the step trains at the algorithm’s defaults and says so at reduced confidence rather than claiming a matching model.
ReportMap	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Map report artifact	Produces a cloud-native map/report artifact.
Sample	Fully Converts	Sample transform	Keeps configured records by count, percentage, or grouping rule.
Smooth	Converts To Executor	Spatial Smooth	Smooths each geometry over a number of passes.
Sort	Fully Converts	Sort transform	Sorts records by configured fields and directions.
SpatialInfo	Converts To Executor	Spatial Info	Area, length, centroid, and bounding rectangle as WGS84 geodesic measures. Object type, part/point counts, Peano key, and end-point coordinates are skipped with a note.
SpatialMatch	Converts With Validation	Spatial Match or Spatial Match (Intersect / Unmatched)	Plain matched pairs run in the database; the intersection-geometry and Unmatched outputs run in the workflow engine.
SpatialProcess	Converts To Executor	Spatial Process	Intersect, union, or cut, with optional dropping of empty results.
Summarize	Fully Converts	Aggregate transform	Groups and aggregates records — sum, count, average, minimum, maximum, median, mode, sample standard deviation and variance, and count distinct. Statistics with no direct equivalent, such as percentile, range, and skewness, are reported rather than silently approximated. First and Last, which take the value from the first or last record in incoming file order, are refused by name — a set-based query has no reproducible record order to take them from.
Tab	Annotation Only	App tab grouping	Preserved as converted app structure where relevant.
Test	Fully Converts	Step condition with warning or error action	Converts test assertions to PlaidCloud conditions.
TextBox	Fully Converts	Controlled text workflow variable	Converts app text input to a typed variable.
TextInput	Fully Converts	Inline table input	Creates inline data for the workflow.
TextPreProcessing	Converts To Executor	NLP preprocessing executor	Performs text normalization and preprocessing.
TextToColumns	Fully Converts	Split columns transform	Splits text into fields or rows.
Tile	Converts With Validation	Tile or grouping transform	Assigns tile groups according to configured rules.
ToolContainer	Annotation Only	Canvas container	Preserved as visual workflow organization.
TopicModel	Converts To Executor	Topic modeling executor	Runs topic modeling through managed NLP execution.
TradeArea	Converts To Executor	Spatial Trade Area	Concentric buffers sized in real-world units. Fixed-radius mode; drive-time trade areas are not covered.
Transformation	Converts With Validation	Transform step	Converts configured transformation logic to PlaidCloud expressions or SQL.
Transpose	Fully Converts	Unpivot transform	Converts columns to rows. Key fields stay columns and the ticked data fields stack into one Name/Value pair; a column that is both a key and a ticked data field stays a key. Data fields of different types stack into one string Value column, so a numeric cell comes through as its text. The error option set to “Error” — abort the run on a data-type conflict — is refused by name, because the melt coerces the columns rather than stopping; “Ignore” and “Warn” convert.
Tree	Fully Converts	Controlled workflow variable	Converts app tree selection to controlled user input.
Union	Fully Converts	Union transform	Combines streams by name, position, or configured field rules.
Unique	Fully Converts	Unique and duplicate split transform	Separates first unique records from duplicates.
VisualLayout	Annotation Only	Canvas layout metadata	Preserved as design context.
WordCloud	Cloud-Native Equivalent	Text visualization artifact	Creates a PlaidCloud visualization artifact from text analysis output — published as a standalone PNG document, not composed into a report render’s PDF.
XMLParse	Converts With Validation	XML parse transform	Extracts XML fields into workflow data.
Missing plugin reference	Fully Converts	Macro invocation or generated placeholder when resolved	Imports known macro sources and maps macro calls to PlaidCloud macro steps.

Spatial Tool Coverage

Every tool in the Alteryx Spatial palette has a PlaidCloud route, and every one of those routes is a step you can also build by hand — conversion is a convenience, not the only way in. See Geospatial steps for the full reference and Geospatial Analytics for how they fit together.

Alteryx Spatial Tool	PlaidCloud Route	Runs In
Buffer	Spatial Buffer	Workflow engine
Create Points	Table Extract expression	Database
Distance	Table Extract expression	Database
Find Nearest	Spatial Find Nearest	Database
Generalize	Spatial Generalize	Workflow engine
Heat Map	Heat Map (macro)	Workflow engine
Make Grid	Spatial Make Grid	Workflow engine
Poly-Build	Spatial Poly-Build	Workflow engine
Poly-Split	Spatial Poly-Split	Workflow engine
Smooth	Spatial Smooth	Workflow engine
Spatial Info	Spatial Info	Workflow engine
Spatial Match	Spatial Match	Database
Spatial Match — intersection object, Unmatched	Spatial Match (Intersect / Unmatched)	Workflow engine
Spatial Process	Spatial Process	Workflow engine
Trade Area (fixed radius)	Spatial Trade Area	Workflow engine
Pie Wedge Trade Area	Pie Wedge Trade Area (macro)	Workflow engine
Spatial file input	Spatial File Import	Workflow engine
Summarize — SpatialObjCombine, SpatialObjConvexHull	Spatial Combine	Workflow engine
Report Map	Report Map	Workflow engine

Known Spatial Gaps

• Drive-time trade areas. Trade Area converts in fixed-radius mode. There is no factor that turns minutes on a road network into a distance, so drive-time sizing does not convert.
• The .geo GeoFile format. Alteryx’s proprietary binary GeoFile cannot be read. Conversion fails closed rather than emitting an import that crashes at run time; other spatial formats are unaffected.
• Some Spatial Info measures. Object type, part count, point count, Peano key, and end-point coordinates have no verified parity definition and are skipped. Conversion names the dropped measures in a note.
• Non-floating-point Create Points modes. Coordinates stored as integers scaled by 1,000,000, or already projected, are flagged for upstream rescaling rather than converted into mis-scaled points.
• Make Grid and Poly-Split configuration forms. Both step types run correctly, but neither has a configuration form in the workflow designer yet; converted steps carry their settings, and hand-authoring goes through the API or MCP.
• Spatial tools with no equivalent. Centroid, Convex Hull, Line To Polygon, Point To Line, Geocoder, and Redistribute have no SQL translation and no geometry-engine operation; conversion refuses each by name rather than emitting a placeholder step.
• Spatial Match relationships other than Within, Contains, and Intersects. Touches, Crosses, Overlaps, Centroid-In, and any other relationship refuse by name. They select a different set of records, and converting them as Intersects would return the wrong matches on a green run.
• Find Nearest distance units other than miles, kilometers, meters, and feet. Yards, nautical miles, and drive-time units refuse rather than being measured in miles under the original unit’s column name, and a maximum distance that is not a number refuses rather than dropping the limit.

Calgary Tool Coverage

An Alteryx Calgary database (.cydb) is a proprietary indexed store PlaidCloud cannot open. Conversion treats each one as standing for one ordinary PlaidCloud table, named calgary_<database name>, so the tools built around it convert as ordinary table operations rather than refusing outright. See Calgary Databases for how the stand-in table works, and Calgary Join and Cross Count Append for the index-matching tools.

Alteryx Calgary Tool	PlaidCloud Route	Converts
Calgary Loader	Table Extract writing calgary_<database>	Yes, once the database is named and it stores at least one data field.
Calgary Input	Dynamic Document input reading calgary_<database>, with the saved query as filter	Yes, including a query built from an Or or wrapped in a Not. Refuses on contains/starts-with/spatial queries and on Skip Records/Max Records limits.
Calgary Input (Count Only) / Calgary Cross Count	Aggregate transform over calgary_<database>	Yes, including a bucket built from an Or or wrapped in a Not. Refuses on a cross over more than one custom field, and on a count-only read naming no column to count over.
Calgary Join	Dynamic Document input matching each record of its input against calgary_<database>	When the incoming field is a plain value matched against a value index. Refuses when the field is spatial (rebuild as Spatial Match) or its type is unresolved, and on count-only, range-index, or unmatched-output-wired Joins, on a Join naming no match field, and on a Join with nothing wired to its input.
Calgary Cross Count Append	—	Never. Rebuild as a Cross Count over calgary_<database>, joined back to this input.

Known Calgary Gaps

• Calgary Cross Count Append never converts. It appends the counts of matching database records, and Alteryx doesn’t document what columns that produces beyond a single field — there is no shape to build with confidence, spatial index or not.
• A Calgary Join or Cross Count Append matched against a spatial index refuses, naming the stand-in table and pointing at Spatial Match — the workflow file records the index’s name but not whether it holds ordinary values or spatial geometry.
• Contains, starts-with, and spatial-lookup queries don’t convert. Only indexed value and range comparisons do.
• A read limited by Skip Records or Max Records doesn’t convert — the stand-in table carries no record order.
• A Calgary Loader that stores no data field doesn’t convert, since the table it wrote would have no columns.
• A database read before it has been loaded stops, naming the table to build. This is the common case for the demographic and reference .cydb files Alteryx ships, which nothing in your workflow wrote.

How Coverage Is Measured

The coverage level in the table above is a statement about a tool. It says the importer has a real route for that tool — not that every one of its configuration options has been exercised.

Parity is tracked at a finer grain: one tool × permutation, where a permutation is a distinct configuration path through the tool. A Join’s join type, a Sample’s mode, a Summarize’s aggregation action and a file input’s format are each their own permutation. Every permutation carries three gates, and all three are required:

Gate	Question
Converts	Does it produce a real step, rather than a refusal?
Runs	Does that step execute without erroring?
Correct	Is the output what Alteryx would produce?

A permutation that ends in a specific refusal naming what is missing is an acceptable outcome. It is reported separately and never counted as a pass — you find out at conversion time, in a message that tells you what to build by hand. A conversion that runs and returns a quietly wrong answer is treated as worse than a refusal, which is why several options in the Known Gaps lists are refused rather than approximated.

Because there is no Alteryx licence in the loop, the “Correct” gate is never recorded on judgement. Each verdict names its oracle: Alteryx’s own published documentation, the output schema Alteryx wrote into the workflow file, the tool’s own internal contract (row counts, column sets, types), or agreement between two independent conversion paths. A verdict with no named oracle is recorded as unverified, however good the underlying test is.

The scoreboard is regenerated from the test suite on every pull request, and a permutation that used to pass a gate cannot quietly stop passing it.

What this means for you: treat Fully Converts as “this tool has a route”, and validate the specific options your workflows use — which is what the validation guidance below is for. The Known Gaps sections on this page name the options that are deliberately refused.

Recognised but Unconverted Tools

Not every Alteryx tool has a PlaidCloud conversion yet. When the importer meets a tool it recognises as a real, published Alteryx tool but does not convert, it refuses by name — the conversion note states the tool and its Alteryx palette category, for example “Alteryx ‘Rank’ (Preparation) is a recognised Alteryx tool that PlaidCloud does not convert yet.” The step fails closed rather than producing a plausible but wrong result.

This is deliberately distinct from an unrecognised tool — a typo, or a plugin PlaidCloud has never heard of — which still reports the generic “Unrecognised Alteryx tool; manual mapping required.” A named refusal tells you the tool is genuine and simply awaits conversion support; the generic message tells you to check the workflow. Marketplace connectors are named this way too: the guidance is to connect through a PlaidCloud connection rather than an Alteryx connector.

Validation Notes

For production workflows, validate converted outputs against trusted Alteryx outputs. PlaidCloud validation focuses on schema, row count, and row values, and ignores row order unless the workflow explicitly depends on ordered data.

Specialized operations such as spatial processing, fuzzy matching, OCR, NLP, and reporting may run through managed job executors. These routes keep the converted workflow cloud-native while covering capabilities that are not best expressed as a single SQL transform. Machine-learning pipelines convert to the native ML: Train Model and ML: Score steps.