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SAP Build Challenge – Week 3 – Automation Bots

Dan_Wroblewski
Developer Advocate
Developer Advocate

This post is part of the SAP Build Community Challenge (April 2023)

dan_wroblewski_0-1680162815071.png

We're mixing it up for this week’s challenge, moving to SAP Build Process Automation and automation bots – which are a bit tricky but really cool!

It feels great to set up your bot, step by step, add all the activities and commands and configurations, and then click a button to have your bot do all your work. I love watching my automation open Excel, read data, open Outlook, create and send emails, open a web app, interact with it ... and a million other tasks.

 

Background

We will be using the RPA Challenge web site for the community challenge.

dan_wroblewski_1-1681619833771.png

Essentially, you will have to do 3 things:

  • Automatically retrieve data from an Excel.
  • Add an "application" for the RPA Challenge web page – meaning, get your bot to recognize the web page and all its user interface elements.  
  • Automatically enter data and click the submit button 10 times, once for each row of data.

The trick is that the fields on the web page move each time you click Submit, so you have to know how to find the right fields on the page (hint: based on CSS class).

If you’re new to SAP Build Process Automation, you should do the following tutorials:

Together, they will give you the knowledge to do the challenge.

 

Setup

You must have an SAP BTP account with SAP Build Process Automation. Luckily, it is available for free on the trial version of SAP BTP, or you can use your own account with the free-tier service plan. Setup is described in the SAP Process Automation now available in your Trial Account blog post.

You will also have to install the desktop agent, which automatically installs the Chrome extension. This is described in Install SAP Intelligent RPA On-Premise Components tutorial.

 

Challenge

Once you are set up, do the following:

  1. Download the Excel from the RPA Challenge page.
    • You could add this task to the automation but you do not have to.              
  2. In SAP Build Process Automation, do the following:
    1. Create a new automation.
    2. Read the data from the Excel.
    3. Click the Start button.
    4. Enter each row of data into the web page into the right fields, and click the Submit button. This must be done 10 times – once for each row. Remember, the locations of the fields change so you must identify the field correctly and enter the correct data into the correct field.
  3. Run the automation (you can run it from test mode; you do not have to deploy it).
  4. When complete, upload an image of the completed challenge that shows the system tray with the time, like this: dan_wroblewski_0-1681707670703.png
    • Also, upload your complete automation definition,something like this (without blurring): dan_wroblewski_2-1681620156761.png

Ideally, you should get a score of 100%, with a time of under 30 seconds. But even if you don't, show us what you were able to do.

It is a little challenging, especially for newbies to SAP Build Process Automation, but it is doable in a couple of hours, and worth it.

Good luck (and join this SAP Builders group! 😺




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89 REPLIES 89

cwitschel
Explorer

Hi Dan,

This weeks challenge was really cool!

It took me all week until finally yesterday getting the booster installed in our global account. That was the main challenge to be honest. Here are my results:
SAPBuildChallengeWeek3.PNGSAPBuildChallengeWeek3_1.PNG

looking at the score the others have, I think I need a new laptop 😄

Cheers Christian

Thanks for keeping at it and participating 😺




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Pamela
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert

Hello Dan,

Here is my output:

Pamela_0-1682068739192.png

And my automation design, with three parts (Main automation, Read data from Excel, Execute in RPA Challenge):

Pamela_2-1682068875927.png

Pamela_3-1682068911174.png

Pamela_1-1682068849138.png

thanks,

Pamela

Nice use of sub-automations 😺Can you explain the use of the condition and Application Exists, what was the condition, and under what conditions would you close the application.




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Pamela
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert

For the application exists, I immediately checked whether the captured application was open to see if the application existed. Like following snapshot: 

Pamela_0-1682492430467.png

The outcome of step 2 was used as a condition, and if it is true, the automato will execute the command "Close Application".

I think it will guarantee that every time we execute the automation, a new web page rather than a manipulated page will be opened. Because I occasionally manually test a web page and forget to close it, the automation result will be affected.

Pamela_1-1682492562008.png

 

vinay050
Participant

Hi @Dan_Wroblewski ,

Enjoyed building this automation . Please find below test results

vinay050_0-1682138372532.png

vinay050_1-1682138425229.png

 

Regards

Vinay

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice work!!




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Hey guys, I've been trying to work with RPA but I'm still facing some difficulties.

I tried using the company's RPA, but had to configure it manually. Here's what I did:

 

smarches_0-1682181145395.png

And manually: 

smarches_2-1682181334145.png

smarches_4-1682181357662.png

I also tried using the free account, but it didn't work out for me.

smarches_5-1682181803700.png

I know I should keep trying, but I gave up this Saturday.

Although RPA is really interesting news about the SAP Build Process Automation, it's not easy to install and configure, especially with the Browser Plugin + Desktop plugin and different authorizations if you have an IAS.

I'll try again some other time.

i think you missed to add required roles for sap build process automation in your role collection try to add the roles and check it again

Could use the free trial here: https://account.hanatrial.ondemand.com/trial/#/home/trial

And have you followed the tutorials listed above, especially this one: https://developers.sap.com/tutorials/spa-create-excel-automation.html




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rohit_kadam
Discoverer

Hi @Dan_Wroblewski 

I have completed the challenge in 1618 milliseconds. It was easy challenge 😄

Challenge 3 1.pngChallenge 3 2.png

 

We wanted to get every involved, and make it fun and not too hard ... glad you completed it 😺




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Ranjith_Kumar
Explorer

my Automation flow

Ranjith_Kumar_0-1682253392210.png

it took for me 2666 milliseconds

Ranjith_Kumar_1-1682253482843.png

looking forward for the next challenge

ManojSutar
Explorer

Hi Dan,

Here is my Output

ManojSutar_0-1682264122607.pngManojSutar_1-1682264172127.pngManojSutar_2-1682264208792.png

 

rajkumar
Explorer

Main Automation which reads excel and loops throw row items:

rajkumar_0-1682414254904.png

Sub-automation which fills the form and submits:

rajkumar_1-1682414278417.png

The final results:

rajkumar_2-1682414469373.png

 

 

govardhansahil
Explorer

Hi @Dan_Wroblewski 

Thank you for the challenge, it was interesting.

Automation Flow:

govardhansahil_0-1682441959506.png

It took me 6404 milliseconds.

govardhansahil_1-1682442132507.png

 

0 Kudos

Great job 😺 glad you joined!




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evra83
Explorer

Hi Dan,

Thanks for this challenge.. 

evra83_0-1682613945163.png

evra83_1-1682613995918.png

 

0 Kudos

Nice work! Do you use process automation for your work?




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WannL_Tan
Explorer

Great challenge!

WannL_Tan_0-1682653066335.png

WannL_Tan_1-1682653084595.png

 

 

Great job! I see you used Get UsedRange Row activity -- what was that for?

Also, it seems it took a little extra time to complete ... I wonder why




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HelenaFortun
Explorer

Hello Dan,

it was great fun! Beside the learning I experimented quite much and learned a lot...

Thanks for that!!

Helena

hardcopy.jpg2023-04-30 23_56_27-BuildChallengeWeek3 - SAP Build Process Automation.png

0 Kudos

Thanks for the comments ... I like how you divided up the automation into parts ... and how you automated the screenshot (!!) 😺




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former_member136915
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert
0 Kudos

Hello Dan,

for a newbie to SAP Build Process Automation it was challenging and I spent a couple of hours especially for declaring the screen elements of the RPA Web Page application. Finally all impediments could be managed.

Thanks for this challenge.

SAP Build Process Automation RPA Challenge.jpgRPA Challenge Web Page.jpg

Chetan_Jadhav
Discoverer
0 Kudos

Hi @Dan_Wroblewski
Completed the Third Challenge.
It was Amazing.
Completed the Third Challenge.MicrosoftTeams-image.pngMicrosoftTeams-image (1).png

PrashantJayaram
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert

Hi Daniel,

Please see below:

Screenshot 2023-05-03 at 5.03.34 PM.pngScreenshot 2023-05-03 at 5.07.58 PM.png

These challenges are really educating me, so thanks!  They're quite a lot of fun too.

Regards,

Prashant Jayaraman

rsraj
Explorer

Hi Dan,

Here's my week 3 submission. It's interesting and bit challenging, however it's cool to see the automation.

Thank you very much!

W3_1.jpgW3_2.jpg

guilhermeoliv
Associate
Associate

Hi Dan,

It was a very nice experience, thank you!

guilhermeoliv_1-1683211973929.png

 

guilhermeoliv_0-1683211950759.png

Regards,

Guilherme

 

The first screenshot didn´t have the time, sorry 😅

guilhermeoliv_2-1683212086793.png

 

0 Kudos

Glad you liked it




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Akash-B-R
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert

Hey Dan,

My submission for Week 3 Challenge.

SAP Build Challenge 2 Result.pngSAP Build Challenge 2 Automation.png

 

I changed my screen orientation to take this one ;). 

 

SAP Build Challenge 2 Automation [Vertical].png

 

Cheers,

Akash.

0 Kudos

Yes, a vertical screen can be really helpful 😺Thanks for participating




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AnaBraga
Associate
Associate

Hi Dan,

It was my first build process automation experience but I really liked it.

I had an issue with the variable type (initially they had the type "any" and I had to change to "string" type).

Another issue I had was with the navigator field on the step 4 of the process automation (see secreenshots). The field was with a different browser other than the one I was using and the application wasn't working because of that.

AnaBraga_0-1683213141498.png

AnaBraga_1-1683213242096.png

Thank you

0 Kudos

Yes, you have to be careful of the browser -- I generally always use Chrome, but in any event there is a setting for indicating the browser type. As for variable, there was something tricky in that the phone number was a number (in the Excel) but was needed as a string to put in the field so you needed to convert it.  Glad you kept at it.




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PranayaBhanja
Discoverer

Hi Dan!!

Thanks for the challenge..

Here is the screenshots.

AutomationAutomationResultResult

0 Kudos

Nice work ... and quite FAST!!!




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VinayKumawat
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert

It is my first time working with  SAP Build Process Automation and automation bots.

Quite interesting start with this challenge, seems my system is slow because of several browser tabs 😅

Screenshot 2023-05-05 014827.png

 and here are steps:Screenshot 2023-05-05 015509.png

 Thanks,

Vinay

KarthickD
Participant

Hi Dan,
At last...here is mine.

KarthickD_0-1683269002838.png

KarthickD_2-1683269118685.png

Well it was interesting though!!

0 Kudos

Glad you kept at it 😺




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TimothySanty
Participant
0 Kudos

Hi Dan,

I've done the set-up and role assignment on the BTP Trial account but when I launch the application I get this error message:

TimothySanty_0-1683294073278.png

😞