What a difference a year makes!
I attended Alteryx Inspire 2025 recently (14-16 May), and it's clear that a significant, positive shift is underway at Alteryx. With a new CEO, a refreshed C-Suite, and a palpable new energy, the conference truly delivered on key areas many of I was keenly watching: the future of AI integration, the evolution of Designer and Cloud offerings, and a renewed commitment to innovation.
AI's New Frontier: The Clearinghouse
One intriguing introduction from Alteryx is the "AI Clearinghouse" to prepare and validate data for AI applications, focusing on data quality and compliance before it's used by other AI systems. New Generative AI tools in public preview use the "Alteryx One Platform" to manage permissions and sharing of LLMs from public APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google Gemini) or privately hosted models. While the ability to use validated data for AI is promising, the clearinghouse needs to address how prepared data will integrate with LLM knowledge bases, as Alteryx currently lacks native support for vector data types and databases.
One Platform to Rule Them All
Alteryx One Platform combines its cloud and on-premise solutions into a single offering with SaaS pricing (Starter, Professional, Enterprise) to simplify the purchase process. This consolidation enables users to select appropriate tools and anticipates a possible future where workflow creation seamlessly transitions between browser and Designer depending on requirements. This strategic shift positions Alteryx as a central player in the analytics and AI landscape by streamlining access and envisioning a more unified user experience. The new structure simplifies purchasing and allows for scalability based on user needs, with the promise of greater interoperability across deployment environments.
Innovation Takes Centre Stage
An underlying current throughout the conference was the strong focus on innovation and product development. It's notable that the executive speakers at Inspire all possess robust product backgrounds. Andy MacMillan (CEO), Ben Canning (CPO) and Steven Birdsall (CRO) all shared a strong product-centric approach. They consistently highlighted a desire to move swiftly, test ideas, and rapidly evolve the Alteryx Platform.
The Exec team also emphasised that customer feedback consistently pointed out Designer is the "crown jewel" of Alteryx, and this needs to return to the development spotlight, finding ways to integrate it more effectively into the overall product platform. A glimpse into this potential future is the "Alteryx One App," a central hub for accessing all Alteryx resources, starting point for any analytic endeavour.
The Unbeatable Community Spirit
It would be remiss not to mention the incredible Alteryx Community. Every year, this community provides not only inspiration, fascination, and intrigue (what were they doing with Alteryx at Obscura?!) but also fosters a human connection rooted in a shared passion for data and general "nerdery". Their willingness to share knowledge, time, and enthusiasm is truly infectious and remains the greatest unique selling proposition of the Alteryx product and platform.
My Takeaway: Buzzing for the Future!
A week on, and I'm still buzzing from Inspire. The clear vision and strategy presented by the entire Alteryx team have reinvigorated my enthusiasm for what Alteryx is building and what can be achieved with it. I'm incredibly excited to witness the evolution of Alteryx over the next 12 months.
Want to dive deeper into the Alteryx Inspire 2025 experience? You can read my original, more detailed blog post on Medium for all the insights!