Configurable Event Handler

Tasks

• Read event log populated by any automated process
• Read XML configuration and issue appropriate stakeholder notifications for the event

A common property of all automations are that key ‘events’ may occur, that require specific action. This action is often logging the information for subsequent analysis, and notification. The Event Handler bot supports Automation Anywhere’s best practices for bot development, by enabling this functionality in a way that is configurable – minimizing any need for ‘hard-coding’ the definition.
As we build bots, there are a few problems that can arise, in particular as an organization scales in the volume of use cases, and people developing automations:

1. Lack of standards for notification – each person developing the bot may adopt their own approach to tracking/sending notification
2. Hard-coding – actions and targeted recipients for communications may be hard-coded, requiring changes to code when these requirements change. Changes to a solution once deployed to Production introduce un-necessary risk, as changes could negatively impact the functionality.
3. Lack of Exception Definition/Handling – as the process for a Use Case is defined, there is often insufficient attention on the entire scope of potential process/system exceptions.

This Event Handler helps to address each of these challenges, as follows:

1. With the EventHandler, the definition of notifications and required actions are defined using a standard approach across all processes/use cases
2. Rather than hard-coding, the definition of ‘events’ and required actions are configurable via XML
3. Definition of ‘exceptions’ is embedded in an XML file, which could be defined early in the bot development lifecycle, and change to those definitions managed throughout the bot’s lifecycle.