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Dynamic Workflow Exception Handling
In computing, “exceptions” are recognized as unforeseen error events that disrupt the normal flow of a running process. Exceptions, however, can be unique to a particular user environment.
Using the Dashboard to Drive Your Business Performance
Today’s growing information and communication technology is altering how companies operate and move forward in a global environment. Because of the real-time nature of information being transmitted, organizations need a way to easily track up-to-the minute performance and operational statistics in order to make effective business decisions more rapidly. AutoMate BPA Server 8’s new Dashboard feature is the ideal solution to tackle such an issue.
Data Store Migration Utility
Data migration is the process of transferring data from one hardware or software configuration to another. It allows organizations the ability to maintain the integrity of important data. The downside is that data migration is often time consuming and causes major disruptions as a result of downtime or application performance problems. As a result, AutoMate BPA Server 8 comes equipped with a new Data Store Migration utility designed to dramatically reduce the effort, time and risk of migrating data between BPA Server 7 and BPA Server 8.
Automating SharePoint Downloads in 3 Easy Steps
With the introduction of SharePoint activities in AutoMate 8, it's easier than ever before to automate SharePoint. Read more on how to automate SharePoint downloads in 3 steps.
The Power of AutoMate Triggers
In AutoMate 7, Triggers are are closely correlated with system, application and network events that transpire on an AutoMate server. They are objects that monitor the occurrence of specific system events or conditions and cause a task to execute automatically as a result.
AutoMate Backup & Restore
In this article we will take a look at the importance of backing up AutoMate data in order to prevent data loss. We will also learn how to go about backing up remote AutoMate installations, performing automated backups and achieving data recovery in case data loss occurs despite the best of our efforts and precautions.
AutoMate BPA Server Enhanced Data Sharing
AutoMate's implementation of variables, arrays and datasets play an important role in the construction of intelligent, flexible and nimble automated processes because they enable a means to store and share dynamic values for use in any task step as well as associated sub-tasks. Once created, these objects can be used in any action's properties that allow input of expressions by simply placing the object name between percent signs (%). This makes it possible for the same task to process different sets of data each time it executes.
AutoMate 7 Installation Instructions
In addition to the powerful capabilities found in AutoMate 6, AutoMate 7 encompasses a variety of new actions designed to automate Twitter and Instant Message operations, web service activities, Active Directory management and XML manipulation, just to name a few. This article will provide important information and illustrated instructions regarding the installation of AutoMate 7.
Working with Agent Groups in BPA Server
An Agent Group is a distinct AutoMate BPA Server object that contains one or more Agents within a logical group. They can be used as workflow objects in place of individual Agents to distribute conditions and tasks to multiple machines across an enterprise. The use of Agent Groups can be more convenient in situations where multiple agents need to be selected for automated execution. Instead of assigning each individual agent, you can simply create an Agent Group which contains the specific agents to be assigned.
Enhanced Online Communications - IM and Twitter
Introduction E-mail has gained popularity with the spread of the Internet and has essentially been the preferred method of on-line communications ever since. However, in recent years, e-mail has been looked upon as a bit of a thorn in the side of companies due to the increase of spam and virus attacks. As a result, many organizations are adopting new and unique ways to communicate on-line, particularly through the use of Instant Messaging and Twitter technologies.
Agent Failover in AutoMate BPA Server 7
IntroductionAutoMate BPA Server provides "Failover" capability in servers, systems or networks that require continuous availability and a high degree of reliability. Failover is the ability for an Agent to switch over automatically to a redundant or standby AutoMate BPA server component upon failure or abnormal termination of the previously active server component. Failover happens without human intervention. The second server will immediately take over the work of the first as soon as it detects a loss of communication.
AutoMate BPA Server Cross-Platform Automation
Introduction Increasing numbers of businesses require solutions to help unify their disparate computing platforms to better improve productivity. The upcoming BPA Server version 7.1.0.0 upgrade will enable organizations to create these kinds of solutions by including support for direct execution across multi-platforms. This new functionality broadens the spectrum of AutoMate BPA Server by extending business and IT process automation capabilities across various computers within the network, regardless of its operating system.
Automating Environment Variable Management
IntroductionEnvironment variables are a set of dynamic values consisting of system information that can control the behavior of various programs. They consist of specially named aliases or placeholders for certain basic system properties that are present for convenience in programming and system administration. AutoMate encompasses a number of actions designed to automate the creation, manipulation and management of environment variables in a Windows-based operating system. These actions reside in the Task Builder"s Available Actions pane located in the Environment Variables folder.
AutoMate 7 Multi-Machine Capabilities
IntroductionUsually, AutoMate 7's Task Administrator console is used to access the Task Service on the local machine. However, it is also capable of Remote Administration, the ability to deploy and manage tasks remotely by accessing an AutoMate Task Service installed on a remote machine via a TCP/IP connection. This article will present detailed information regarding all aspects of AutoMate 7"s Remote Administration feature. It will provide step by step instructions concerning remote connection, task deployment and remote management. It will also discuss External Database Logging functionality in relation to Remote Administration and point out various forms of remote connection types available.
Microsoft Exchange Automation
IntroductionMore organizations use Microsoft Exchange for email-based collaboration than any other software on the market today. Not only is Exchange reliable and secure, it"s also highly scalable. As a result, more employees are utilizing other features found in Microsoft Outlook such as contacts, calendars, notes and tasks and relying on Exchange to access such items when they are on the road.
Automating Web Service Execution
Web Service - OverviewA Web service is defined as a set of technologies that provide platform-independent standards used for exchanging data between applications over a network, such as the Internet. Businesses can dynamically mix and match Web services to perform complex transactions with minimal programming. For instance, Web services allow buyers and sellers all over the world to discover each other, connect dynamically, and execute transactions in real time with minimal human interaction.
Upcoming BPA Feature: Advanced Workflow Capabilities Using Agent Groups
One of the many new features that will be introduced in the upcoming release of BPA Server version 7.0.8.0 is the concept of Agent Groups. An Agent Group is essentially a single element that contains a collection of two or more agents within a logical group. Agent Groups can be used in place of individual agents within a workflow. This allows a single trigger condition the ability to set off tasks assigned to numerous agents in one workflow. This also provides a single task the ability to execute on multiple agents simultaneously. Additionally, Agent Groups allow the workflow to wait for and/or test for a condition to be true on any one machine in the agent group. This article will outline how to create Agent Groups and explain their properties and behavior in a running workflow determined by the type of object each Agent Group is applied to.
Using Functions to Extend AutoMate's Capabilities
AutoMate encompasses a VBA-compatible engine designed to extend the functionality available in AML (AutoMate Markup Language), the primary internal language used by AutoMate. It allows multi-line BASIC scripts to be included in a task with the use of the BASIC Script action and allows all built-in Visual Basic functions to be used as an expression in any step of a task. Furthermore, AutoMate also includes a large collection of additional functions that extend the functionality of the AutoMate Scripting Engine beyond the capabilities of what the basic VBA-compatible engine provides. These functions are collectively referred to as "AutoMate Extended Functions."
Using Conditions to Enhance Workflow Operations
In AutoMate BPA Server 7, conditions, formerly known as triggers, are objects that can initiate the execution of workflows or tasks based on system and application events that occur in your network. The evolution from triggers to conditions is mainly due to workflows which have been introduced in BPA Server 7. Conditions are much more powerful than triggers because - in addition to initiating workflow execution - they can also provide conditional decision-making at the workflow level.
How to use the Expression Builder
The AutoMate Expression Builder is a valuable tool used to assist in the creation and examination of expressions. An expression, in a programming, is a combination of variables, constants, functions and operators that represents a particular value. Many procedures or actions that one might want to perform with expressions are already contained in AutoMate's list of available actions. However, expressions can be used to further expand the capabilities of an action or add more intelligence to a task due to its ability to resolve dynamic data during task execution. The Expression Builder essentially incorporates all of the elements needed in order to create a properly formatted expression for use in any step of an AutoMate task.