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The Alteryx Data Cleansing tool and the Prophecy Data Cleansing gem both apply column-level cleaning operations, including trimming whitespace, converting nulls, removing unwanted characters, and changing case.

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Automated migration results

During Import:
  • The Data Cleansing tool is converted into a Data Cleansing gem.
  • Import preserves column selections and cleansing options (such as trim, null replacement, and character removal).

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Manually replicate in Prophecy

  1. Add a Data Cleansing gem.
  2. Select columns to clean.
  3. Select and configure options such as Replace nulls in column, Remove unwanted characters, and Modify case.
  4. Preview results in the Data Explorer to verify fields.

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Configuration options

In Alteryx, configuration includes choosing fields and selecting operations to apply:
  • Replace nulls with blanks or zeros.
  • Remove unwanted characters (letters, numbers, punctuation).
  • Trim leading and trailing whitespace.
  • Force upper or lower case.
  • Remove duplicate whitespace.
In Prophecy, configuration is very similar: you choose which columns to clean and select which operations to perform:
  • Replace nulls with user-defined values.
  • Trim whitespace (leading, trailing, or both).
  • Remove tabs, line breaks, or other specified characters.
  • Convert text to lowercase, uppercase, or title case.
Configuration is column-centric in both platforms.

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Output behavior

Alteryx applies cleansing row by row inside Designer or on an Alteryx server. Prophecy computes cleansing operations using SQL expressions at execution time.

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Known caveats

  • Some Alteryx character filters (such as removing all letters or all numbers) may require regex in Prophecy.
  • Type handling follows SQL rules in Prophecy and may differ from Alteryx.
  • Automatic field-group selections in Alteryx must be specified explicitly in Prophecy.

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Examples

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Alteryx Data Cleansing tool example

Goal: Trim whitespace across name and address fields and replace nulls with blanks. Steps:
  1. Add Data Cleansing Tool to canvas.
  2. Select Name and Address under Select Fields to Cleanse.
  3. Check Replace with Blanks under Replace Nulls.
  4. Check Leading and Trailing Whitespace under Remove Unwanted Characters.
  5. Click Run.

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Prophecy DataCleansing gem example

Goal: Enable trimming and null replacement for the same fields in the Data Cleansing gem and preview results in the Data Explorer. Steps:
  1. Add a DataCleansing gem to the canvas.
  2. Configure the DataCleansing gem:
    1. Under Select columns to clean, select Name and Address.
    2. Under Replace null values in columns, check For string columns.
    3. Under Remove unwanted characters, check Leading and trailing whitespaces.
    4. Click Save.
  3. Confirm output using the Data Explorer.