Designing an RPA Solution

Design Best Practices

Keep the following best practices in mind when designing your RPA solutions:

  • Wizard Template: Use the Wizard template as the basis for your own wizard development. The Wizard template provides the following out-the-box functionality:

    • Comprehensive exception handling for events like Window not found, Window blocked, Object not found, and so on.

    • Logging to a configurable CSV file.

    • Logging to the Nintex RPA database. These records can be seen in the Nintex Console, in the task details.

  • Variables: Name each variable using a descriptive name that clearly designate its purpose. For easier maintenance, set up the variables at the start of the wizard.

  • Folders: Use each folders for a single purpose to avoid confusion and reduce debugging when the solution is deployed.

You can download the Wizard template and a guide for using it from Automation Hub: Best practices template.

For extensive RPA development best practices, tip, tricks, and design considerations, see:

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Attended Automation Best Practices

The post The "Ten Commandments" of Nintex RPA Attended Automation can help you get the most out of Nintex Attended Automation (which presents unique challenges for development and deployment due to its very nature).

Logging Best Practices

The Wizard template described in Automation Hub: Best Practices includes extensive built-in functionality for logging. Logs are an excellent method for debugging processes, as they enable you to identify specific steps that are causing issues.

As you develop your own RPA solutions, always use logging to indicate that a wizard step is complete. Although as a general rule more is always more when it comes to logging, do not log sensitive information like identification numbers, credit card number, and so on.

Complementary Solution Best Practices

There are often scenarios in which 3rd-party solutions required to complete the automation of a process. These solutions might be more efficient, accurate, or stable than the RPA tools/platform, or provide otherwise unavailable functionality. Examples include parsing JSON files, working with Microsoft Word documents, or converting CSV files to Microsoft Excel workbooks and vice-versa.

Examples of these tools/solutions include:

  • Visual Basic macros for Word documents and Excel workbooks

  • JavaScript for direct interaction with web pages

  • .NET plugins

  • Python scripts

  • PowerShell

When working with complementary solutions:

  • Ensure that the 3rd-party solutions are easy to maintain.

  • Use programming best practices for error and exception handling when developing solutions outside of RPA.

  • Ensure the source code is well indented and spaced out for easier readability.

  • Consider adding notes or creating simple documentation on how to use the solution.