Convert .yxdb Files for Import

Alteryx writes .yxdb files in two formats. The classic format (written by the original engine) is well understood, and PlaidCloud imports it directly. The AMP engine writes a newer variant — the file header reads Alteryx e2 Database file — whose specification is proprietary and unpublished, so no tool outside Alteryx can read it, including PlaidCloud.

During a migration you still have licensed Alteryx Designer, and Designer reads both formats. Use it once, before you decommission it, to rewrite AMP-format files into something portable.

Note

Classic .yxdb files import into PlaidCloud directly — no conversion needed. If an import fails with an unreadable-file error on a .yxdb, an AMP-format file is the most likely cause.

Identify AMP-Format Files

• The workflow that produced the file ran with the AMP engine enabled.
• PlaidCloud reports the file as unreadable during import, while other .yxdb files from the same package import fine.
• The first bytes of the file read Alteryx e2 Database file instead of Alteryx Database File (visible in any text or hex editor).

Option A: Re-Save Files Individually in Designer

For a handful of files, re-save each one from Designer:

1. In Alteryx Designer, add an Input Data tool and select the .yxdb file.
2. Connect an Output Data tool and choose a new .yxdb path.
3. In the Output Data tool’s options, enable the option to save the file compatible with Designer 18.1 and older. This forces the classic format.
4. Run the workflow, then import the new file into PlaidCloud.

Writing to CSV instead of .yxdb in step 2 also works and skips the compatibility option.

Option B: Batch-Convert a Folder with the Downloadable Workflow

For many files, download the prebuilt workflow and run it in Designer:

Download convert_yxdb_folder.yxmd

It chains a Directory tool, a Dynamic Input tool, and an Output Data tool so that every .yxdb in a folder — classic or AMP — is rewritten as a CSV file named converted_<original name>.csv. CSV is portable and PlaidCloud imports it losslessly.

1. Open convert_yxdb_folder.yxmd in Alteryx Designer.
2. In the Directory tool, set the folder that holds your .yxdb files.
3. In the Dynamic Input tool, point the Input Data Source Template at any one .yxdb file in that folder.
4. In the Output Data tool, set the output folder.
5. Run the workflow, then upload the CSVs to Document and import them.

Caution

The Dynamic Input tool requires every file in a batch to share the template file’s field layout. Files with a different layout are skipped with a warning — Designer’s results pane names each skipped file. Group differing files into their own folder with their own template and run again, or re-save stragglers individually using Option A.

Files converted to CSV lose .yxdb-specific typing (everything arrives as text and is re-typed on import), so spot-check imported tables for column types — especially dates and high-precision decimals.

Related Guides

• Package Alteryx Dependencies
• Tune Alteryx Imports
• Migrate Alteryx Workflows