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Automate the Universe Challenge #3

Automate the Universe Challenge #3

Wow, Challenge #1 & Challenge #2 are complete - great work!

Are you ready for the third and final challenge in our Automate the Universe series? Challenge #3 is here, and it's all about leveraging the power of our community-fueled Bot Store.
 

The Challenge:


For Challenge #3, we invite you to pick a favorite Bot Store bot or package—or choose one you're interested in exploring—and share the ideal use case for that bot/package.

As you identify your challenge and Bot Store solution, consider the following questions:

  • What specific business or personal challenge are you looking to address?
  • How can the selected Bot Store bot or package help improve or solve this challenge?
  • What are the key features and functionalities of the Bot Store package that make it suitable for your use case?
  • Have you explored similar solutions in the past? If so, how does the Bot Store package compare?
  • What benefits do you expect to achieve by using the Bot Store package?

 

Submission Criteria:


Submit your solution as a comment on this dedicated post, either in writing or through a link to a short demo video. Please include:

  • A challenge statement that describes the problem you’re addressing
  • A solution statement that explains how the Bot Store package can help to improve or solve the challenge

All submissions will earn the Automate the Universe Challenge #3 badge and get another step closer to the Trifecta Award: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready to explore the Bot Store and showcase your automation expertise? Join us in Challenge #3 —we can’t wait to see what you pick!

 

 

 

This topic has been closed for comments

33 replies

Ganesh Bhat
Rank
Userlevel 4
Badge +12

Challenge Statement:

 


In the transportation industry, one of the significant challenges we face is optimizing logistics and route planning to ensure timely and efficient delivery of goods while minimizing costs and environmental impact. Manual route planning processes are often time-consuming and prone to inefficiencies, resulting in increased fuel consumption, longer delivery times, and higher operational costs.

 

 

Solution Statement:


To address this challenge, my favorite Bot Store package is the "OpenAI Generative AI Package" powered by OpenAI.

 

 

This package utilizes advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques to analyze transportation data, including factors such as delivery locations, vehicle capacities, traffic conditions, and fuel efficiency, to optimize route planning and logistics operations.

 

The Logistics Optimization Bot can generate optimal delivery routes, taking into account multiple variables and constraints, such as delivery deadlines, vehicle availability, and customer preferences. Additionally, it can adapt dynamically to real-time changes, such as traffic congestion or unexpected delays, to ensure that deliveries are made as efficiently as possible. By automating the route planning process, the Logistics Optimization Bot can help transportation companies reduce fuel consumption, minimize vehicle idle time, and improve overall fleet efficiency. This not only results in cost savings but also reduces carbon emissions and environmental impact. The key features of the Logistics Optimization Bot, such as its ability to handle complex optimization problems, generate actionable insights, and integrate with existing transportation management systems, make it an ideal solution for improving logistics operations in the transportation industry.

 

Compared to manual route planning methods, the Logistics Optimization Bot offers a more scalable and data-driven approach that enables transportation companies to achieve higher levels of efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. Overall, I believe that implementing the Logistics Optimization Bot from the Bot Store will significantly benefit our transportation business by reducing operating costs, improving customer satisfaction, and enhancing environmental sustainability.

You can reach me through WhatsApp : https://wa.me/message/5B3COVB4TXWHO1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ganeshdhogale/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/ai-brahmaai/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aibrahma1150
rbkadiyam
Rank
Userlevel 5
Badge +14

Challenge Statement :  Migration of existing data  As part of Database consolidation and migrating application from RDBMS DB to MongoDB ( This is very old use case that implemented)

Solution Statement: During initial days of Mongo DB our enterprise wanted few application to move from RDBMS to Mongo DB, I used below Bot to migrate the existing data by export into excel and convert as JSON and inserted into mongo DB.

 

Ramesh B Kadiyam
C
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +16

Challenge Statement 

For the use case where we download images or files via APIs, there's currently no direct way to convert Base64 encoded files returned by an API response. These APIs often return object data in Base64 encoding. The workaround is to use a programming language that handles decoding and saving the data locally.

 

Solution Statement: 
 

Use "Base64 Conversion Package" from the Bot Store, which proved to be invaluable for conversion purposes.

This package facilitates the encoding and decoding of files using Base64, offering the following actions:

  • Encode file with Base64
  • Decode Base64 string

Decode Base64 string: This action allows you to decode a Base64 encoded string back into its original format.

 

 

 
allison.able
Userlevel 6
Badge +10

@Ganesh Bhat - Interesting idea - Could you map the automation out for us at a high level? I want to be sure I am aligned with your thinking, plus...Gotta love a moment to see if you are Team List or Team Flow View! 

@rbkadiyam - Migrations are such a hot topic! When looking at our available packages, would you happen to have any other recommendations that people should keep in their back pockets? 

@ChanduMohammad This is a stellar breakdown - thank you so much for sharing! Out of curiosity, is there a package that has piqued your interest that you haven’t yet had time to explore? 

 

🥁 CONGRATULATIONS on becoming our first Trifecta Award recipients! 🌟 

Zaid Chougle
Rank
Userlevel 4
Badge +14

In the contemporary era, extracting data from PDFs and transferring it to a designated location has become notably difficult. This process often entails risks of data loss, misinformation, and consumes considerable time. When seeking a solution for this task, individuals typically turn to OCR-based approaches. These methods involve training the model according to specific formats and extracting the data, although at increased time and expense. Particularly challenging is the extraction of data from tables, as they may span across multiple pages and lack proper formatting.

When I checked out BotStore to find a solution for the problem, I found a bot that uses Python tools to grab tables from PDFs and put them neatly into Excel files.

https://botstore.automationanywhere.com/bot/a2019-data-table-extraction-pdf-to-excel

 

The Above BOT has an config file which takes an input path for PDF file, and Output excel file and shares the output in an Excel which can be used for further processing.

 

Another package that I personally want to highlight is :

https://botstore.automationanywhere.com/bot/date-and-time-utilities-package

Date and Time utilities package, often subtraction of two dates, getting the first and last business day and many more requires additional logics which the above package has actions and makes the logic building more easy and streamlined.

 
 
Lets Automate !
Tamil Arasu10
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +15

Challenge Statement: Managing repetitive and time-consuming tasks on web applications, such as data entry, form filling, and report generation, poses a significant challenge in terms of productivity and efficiency. Finding a solution to automate these tasks effectively while ensuring reliability and accuracy is essential for streamlining workflows and optimizing resource utilization.

Solution Statement: The selected Bot Store package, the "Web Automation Package," offers a comprehensive solution for addressing the challenge of automating tasks on dynamic web pages, executing JavaScript-based automation, and operating in headless mode.

https://botstore.automationanywhere.com/bot/web-automation-package

 

 
_Tamil_
Polyana 8891
Rank
Userlevel 2
Badge +9

Declaração de desafio: alguns sites onde há bots ativos hoje precisam de limpeza constante de cache no Chrome para funcionar com 100% de seu desempenho.

Solução para o desafio: Buscando algumas soluções na Bot Store, notei que existem diversas soluções já desenvolvidas para esse problema constante que estamos enfrentando, principalmente https://botstore.automationanywhere.com/bot/a2019-clear-browser-cache, o que sem dúvida facilitará a criação e atuação de bots ativos na minha empresa.

 

 

Polyana
rima.sengupta
Userlevel 3
Badge +5

Hello @Polyana 8891 -

 Are there any other solutions or bot functionalities you've explored for optimizing website performance?

 

Rima Sengupta

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rima-sengupta/
rima.sengupta
Userlevel 3
Badge +5

Hello @Tamil Arasu10 , 

Great Idea! What criteria did you consider when selecting the "Web Automation Package" from the Bot Store?

 

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rima-sengupta/
J
Userlevel 3
Badge +12

Challenge statement: There are at time challenges with speed when automating web applications purely through the Browser and Recorder packages. Especially when those pages contain highly dynamic elements.

 

Solution statement: I know the Web Automation package has been mentioned already, but believe it deserves another vote. The flexibility of interacting with the page elements through XPath, ID, CSS, etc. is a great help to anyone working on web automation. Additionally, the speed gains this package brings are why we always see it in use during Bot Games seasons as developers go for better and better timings.

rima.sengupta
Userlevel 3
Badge +5

@J.Logan , The Web Automation package seems like a real game-changer for speeding up web automation tasks 😀

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rima-sengupta/
S
Userlevel 1
Badge +4

Challenge statement:

Generating reports is a common and challenging task in daily life. We mostly use Excel for generating reports and Financial analysis. Therefore, the Excel package is the most useful package in Automation Anywhere.

Solution statement:

The selected Bot Store package, the 'Excel Advanced Package,' offers a comprehensive solution for addressing the challenge of automating tasks related to generating Excel reports, data cleansing, and manipulation. We also use this package for financial analysis and modeling, automating tasks such as importing financial data, performing calculations, generating financial reports, and updating models based on predefined criteria. Additionally, we will use it for data entry and management tasks by extracting data from different sources, populating Excel sheets, performing calculations, and updating databases.

Here’s the link for Excel Advanced Package:

https://docs.automationanywhere.com/bundle/enterprise-v2019/page/enterprise-cloud/topics/aae-client/bot-creator/commands/cloud-excel-command.html

 
P
Userlevel 1
Badge +4

Problem Statement:

I was having difficulty extracting some dealer names from an application. The application was not recorder friendly. Another challenge was the bot had to capture few dealer names from nested pop up windows.

Solution Statement:

Used Python Script Package to scrape the data. I really like the way how the package helps us to write custom Python scripts directly within the bot.

J
Rank
Userlevel 2
Badge +6

Challenge Statement:  Starting a program’s automation portfolio takes a lot of time developing bot best practices and frameworks. How are we going to log? What about deleting log files after a period of time? How about the important code documentation? This will usually take a while to figure out and only through trial and error.

Solution Statement:  The “bot-framework-package” in the bot store has solved all of this and more.

This package does the following:

  • Config: Read CSV, Read Excel, Read JSON, Read XML
  • Device: Close Applications, Create Folders, Clean Directories
  • Documentation: About, Comment, Steps, Caution Steps
  • Logger: Start Session, Log Message, End Session

It reads “Config” files in four different formats. It will cleanup files and close applications. The documentation activities allow the developer to notate inputs, outputs, and application settings; insert comments and images. It even produces a log file where you are able to click a button to view a screenshot or to view all of the logged variables. 

 

 

https://botstore.automationanywhere.com/bot/bot-framework-package

B
Userlevel 2
Badge +8

Challenge statement: For Citrix Automation, and also when the recorder captures DOM XPath is changing every time, clicking any button or field becomes much more difficult.

Solution statement: In all of these scenarios, Automation Anywhere's "Image Recognition" package has helped achieve the desired output.


********************************************************************************************************************
Nowadays, these topics are highly trending in the Gen-AI/LLM field, aiming to enhance LLM accuracy using custom databases.

By leveraging Google or AWS RAG Bots, we can substantially boost LLM performance. I am thrilled to utilize these two Bots in future LLM-based projects. LLM can deliver improved responses by harnessing our custom vector DB.


 

 

S
Userlevel 2
Badge +7

Challenge Statement:

As most of the time, I spend my time with Salesforce CRM with Automation Anywhere 360. Though A360 has a powerful web automation strategy. Still considering the underlying development of Salesforce platform it is tedious to automate through recorder package.

Solution Statement:

There are multiple ways to overcome this issue.

one way is to use the Web automation Package. But here the catch is the scope of the session lies within the task Bot itself which is bit challenging when solutioning at enterprise level.

and then there are Salesforces packages in the BOT store which are ready to plugin and play, which has played a major role in easing the process of developing these Salesforce related automations.

So basically these packages are based on API approach, where we just need to input the values and all the automation is API based which is very reliable.

https://botstore.automationanywhere.com/bot/create-salesforce-lead

https://botstore.automationanywhere.com/bot/salesforce-advanced-package

These are like boosters to default functions which are available in A360.

 

Sai Teja Gayala

 

S
Rank
Userlevel 2
Badge +10

Challenge: Extract portal data between specified week start and end dates.

Solution: This is one of my first challenges to work on. The first hurdle was to figure out a logic to get the dates for data extraction. Discovering a readily available bot for the same purpose made me feel like having a GTA cheatsheet! 😂, I was exhilarated as a little tweaking completed my stage one in a few hours. However, the next step proved to be a bit trickier. Navigating through the constantly changing GUI of the portal, combined with my limited understanding of Automation Anywhere at the time, made the task more challenging than anticipated. We finally used API to get that done. 

Bot Details: “Start and End Day of the Current Week Bot” is easy to add to the control room. The date format can be set and we can also determine the length of a week to get the start and end dates.

Enhancement of the bot: As we moved the bot to production, we encountered an error in date calculations for one particular instance and it’s been reported. 

Check it out - https://botstore.automationanywhere.com/bot/start-and-end-day-of-the-current-week

jayqb
Rank
Userlevel 3
Badge +10

Challenge Statement:

Our Quality Assurance (QA) team faces significant challenges in testing web applications due to the repetitive nature of manual testing. Each test cycle requires logging into the application multiple times, navigating through various web pages, and handling frequent JavaScript alerts. This manual process is time-consuming, prone to errors, and leads to inconsistencies in test results, causing delays in the software release cycle.
 

Solution Statement:

The Browser Automation Package from Automation Anywhere's Bot Store can significantly streamline our QA testing processes. This package offers features that address our challenges, with a special emphasis on Global Session Management, which enhances the entire automation process.
 

Key Features and Functionalities:
 

Automatic Webdriver Management: This feature automatically detects the browser version and downloads the appropriate webdriver, eliminating the need for manual configuration and ensuring compatibility across various browser versions. This is crucial for maintaining seamless automation processes without frequent adjustments.

Global Session Management: One of the standout features of this package is the ability to share a browser session across multiple bots using a shared session variable. This means that the same browser session can be reused for different tests without needing to repeatedly open and close the browser. This significantly improves efficiency and reduces resource consumption.

Handling JavaScript Alerts: The package includes functionality to handle JavaScript alerts, ensuring smooth interaction with web applications that frequently use these alerts. This reduces interruptions in automation scripts and maintains a seamless workflow.

Enhanced Navigation Options: With flexible navigation options such as back, forward, refresh, and opening new tabs, the package simplifies interactions with complex web workflows. This allows for more dynamic and adaptable automation scripts.

 

Why Global Session Management is Key:

Global Session Management allows carrying the session ID from a parent bot to a child bot. This is crucial for our QA tasks because it enables a single login session to be utilized across multiple bots, ensuring that all tests are performed within the same session. This not only saves time but also maintains consistency and state across different test scenarios. For example, after logging into the web application once, the same session can be used to perform various tests, check different functionalities, and validate multiple workflows, without needing to log in again for each test. This continuity enhances the overall efficiency and reliability of our automation testing workflows.
 

Benefits:

Improved Efficiency: By reducing the need for multiple logins and session initiations, our QA team can complete testing cycles faster and with fewer interruptions.
Consistency and Accuracy: Maintaining the same session across multiple bots ensures test consistency and reduces the likelihood of errors.
Resource Optimization: Sharing a session reduces the computational resources required to manage multiple browser instances, leading to better system performance.
Enhanced Test Coverage: The ability to handle JavaScript alerts and navigate complex web applications smoothly improves the overall effectiveness and thoroughness of the test scripts.


By leveraging the Browser Automation Package, especially its Global Session Management feature, we can revolutionize our QA testing processes, achieving significant time savings, improved test accuracy, and enhanced operational efficiency.

rima.sengupta
Userlevel 3
Badge +5

@jayqb , @spandana 4141 , @Sai1212 , @Bapi 81 , @jaye , @pawara , @Santhi 2720 ,

Congratulations on successfully completing the challenges! Your Trifecta badges have been allocated! If you have any questions about the challenges, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at community@automationanywhere.com.

Rima Sengupta

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rima-sengupta/
Daiana Grimi
Rank
Userlevel 1
Badge +8
  • Challenge statement: Sometimes, we don’t know if the runner is not performing ok until we have an issue or an failed execution. And, most of the times we could spend hours reviewing the code without have an idea about what changed or what happened.
  • A solution statement: to prevent failures during executions and to be aware that the machine is not working properly, this package provide the necessary information related to RDP machine details, resolution details, AA plugin status, Excel and Outlook status. 

 

 

 

A
Badge +10

Challenge Statement:

Creating Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) files is a complex and time-consuming task that requires precise formatting and adherence to industry standards. The manual creation of EDI files involves meticulous attention to detail to ensure data accuracy and compliance with specific protocols, which can lead to errors and inefficiencies. This process becomes increasingly challenging when dealing with large volumes of data that need to be converted into EDI format regularly.

Solution Statement:

Automation Anywhere, combined with the OpenAI Generative AI package, can significantly improve and streamline the process of creating EDI files by leveraging its Robotic Process Automation  capabilities and AI-driven automation solutions.

EDI File Creation Automation:

Automation Anywhere bots can be programmed to extract relevant data from various sources such as databases, ERP systems, or spreadsheets. These bots can then use the OpenAI Generative AI package to format the extracted data into the required EDI standards, ensuring accuracy and compliance. The AI models can be trained to understand the specific requirements of different EDI formats and generate the files accordingly.

Benefits of Automation:

  1. Accuracy and Compliance: The automation ensures that EDI files are created with precise formatting, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring compliance with industry standards.
  2. Efficiency: Automating the EDI file creation process saves time and resources by eliminating the need for manual data entry and formatting.
  3. Scalability: The solution can handle large volumes of data, making it scalable for businesses with high data processing needs.
  4. Consistency: Automation ensures consistency in the EDI file creation process, maintaining a high level of quality across all files.
  5. Cost Savings: Reducing manual labor and minimizing errors leads to significant cost savings in the long run.

Real-life Benefits:

Implementing this automation solution allows businesses to efficiently manage their EDI file creation process, ensuring timely and accurate data exchange with trading partners. The reduction in manual effort frees up employees to focus on more strategic tasks, enhancing overall productivity. Moreover, the minimized risk of errors leads to improved business relationships and compliance with regulatory requirements. Overall, the integration of Automation Anywhere and the OpenAI package for EDI file creation results in a more streamlined, efficient, and reliable data interchange process.

S
Badge +6

Challenge Statement:

Our company receives hundreds of customer orders through their online web portal every day. In which Employees need to manually log in to the web portal, navigate to the orders section, and enter the order details into the company's internal system. This process is time-consuming and requires significant manual effort.

Solution Statement:

Automated Web-Based Order Processing Using Automation Anywhere

To address the challenge of manual data entry for customer orders, I implement an automated solution using the web automation package in Automation Anywhere.
 

 

simren s
N
Badge +4


Challenge Statement:

In any project from scratch if any framework is not defined then its difficult to maintain the code and its formatting and readability.

Solution Statement:

With the use of A360 Bot Framework bot from botstore - 

https://botstore.automationanywhere.com/bot/a360-bot-framework-2

This bot helps in formatting, readability and maintaining of code becomes easy.

Thanks
Nidhi

A
Badge +4

Challenge Statement:

The challenge is to streamline and automate the employee on boarding process, which currently involves multiple manual tasks such as data entry, document processing, account setup, and compliance checks, leading to inefficiencies and errors.

 

Solution Statement:

Selected Bot Store Packages:

  • Employee On boarding Bot
  • Document Processing Bot
  • Compliance and Audit Bot

 

How the Bot Store Packages Can Help?

These Automation Anywhere BOT packages can significantly improve the on boarding process by automating repetitive and error-prone tasks. Here's how each bot contributes:

Employee On boarding Bot: This bot can handle the entire on boarding workflow, from collecting necessary information from new hires to setting up their accounts in various systems.

Document Processing Bot: This bot automates the extraction, verification, and storage of documents, ensuring that all required paperwork is processed efficiently and accurately.

Compliance and Audit Bot: This bot ensures that all on boarding activities comply with company policies and regulatory requirements by automating compliance checks and maintaining audit trails.

 

 

Key Features and Functionalities:

Employee On boarding Bot:

Automated data entry and form filling.

Integration with HR systems (e.g., SAP, Workday).

Email notifications and reminders.

Role-based access setup.

 

Document Processing Bot:

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for extracting data from scanned documents.

Automated document classification and storage.

Integration with document management systems (e.g., SharePoint).

Compliance and Audit Bot:

 

Automated compliance checks.

Real-time monitoring and reporting.

Maintenance of detailed audit logs.

Comparison with Similar Solutions:

In the past, similar solutions such as manual processing tools or semi-automated scripts were explored. However, these lacked the comprehensive automation and integration capabilities offered by the Automation Anywhere Bot Store packages. The previous solutions also required significant manual intervention and were prone to errors.

 

The Automation Anywhere Bot Store packages provide a more robust, scalable, and error-free solution. They offer pre-built templates and easy integration with existing systems, reducing the implementation time and effort significantly.

 

Expected Benefits:

Increased Efficiency: Automating repetitive tasks will save time, allowing HR personnel to focus on more strategic activities.

Enhanced Accuracy: Reducing human intervention minimizes the risk of errors in data entry and document processing.

Compliance Assurance: Automated compliance checks ensure that all on boarding activities meet regulatory and company standards.

Improved Employee Experience: A smoother and faster on boarding process enhances the overall experience for new hires, promoting positive early impressions.

Cost Savings: By reducing manual labor and errors, the organization can save on operational costs and avoid potential compliance penalties.

 

 

Implementing these Bot Store packages will transform the on boarding process, making it more efficient, accurate, and compliant, ultimately benefiting both the organization and its new employees.

S
Badge +5

 

Challenge statement :

 

One of our main challenges is the inability to view data representations in a single, properly formatted message box. This limitation hinders our ability to quickly check or debug the code, especially when diagnosing I/O exceptions. Viewing the contents of table variables or dictionary variables efficiently has been particularly problematic.

 

Solution Statement :

 

I discovered an excellent package on Bot Store called JavaFX. This package allows us to view various types of variables—such as data tables, dictionaries, records, and lists—in their actual data representations. This solution has effectively addressed our challenge, streamlining both development and support processes. With JavaFX, there’s no longer a need to write data to text or CSV files to inspect variable contents. Having this package in our control room has been immensely beneficial.

 

 

 

Thanks, Saqib.
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