Automate the Universe Challenge #3

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

@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

• 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.