Alteryx Standard Macro

December 18, 2022

This post was originally published on The Data School blog between 2018 and July 2025, before our program was renamed to MIP’s Analytics Career Accelerator. References throughout this article to “The Data School” or “DS” all refer to what is now MIP’s Analytics Career Accelerator. The program, its people, and its commitment to launching outstanding analytics careers remain the same – just under a new name.

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Hi everyone! In this blog, I would like to introduce you to Macro functions in Alteryx. Macros are very useful tools for reducing time spent recreating the same tool sets, saving lots of time.

4 Types of Macro

There are 4 types of Macro in Alteryx.

Standard Macro
Batch Macro
Iterative Macro
Location Optimizer Macro

In this blog, I will show you how to build a standard macro from scratch. This type of macro is a perfect fit for routine work, or resolving the same problem.

Let’s get started!

There are only 2 steps for building standard macros. Imagine that You receive a file in the same format every month and your task is to organize the file to have a standard format.

Example:

1) Unorganised file

2) Expected file after formatting

Step 1: Create a workflow

Step 2: Turn the created workflow into a macro by converting Input tool & Browse tool to Macro Input and Macro Output.

Step 2.1: convert Input tool to Macro Input by Right Click and select “Convert To Macro Input”

Step 2.2: Give your input macro a name and an anchor abbreviation

Step 2.3: Convert Browse tool to Macro output by Right Click on Browse tool and select “Convert To Macro Input”

Step 2.4: Give the output macro a name and anchor abbreviation

Step 2.5: Save the Macro and then the macro is ready to use

Step 2.6: Insert macro into your workflow by right clicking then selecting Insert Macro, as per the below picture. Then it’s ready to run.

How to customise Macro Icons with a picture

Step 1: Go to the View menu and select Interface Designer

Step 2: There are 2 options. Choose a picture from “Standard Icon”, or select your own picture using “Custom Icon”. Don’t forget to SAVE! Then have fun.