My biggest mistake as an RPA developer

Post by proctrap » Wed, Mar 23, 2022, 2:44 PM UTC

honey-badger wrote: post #67

proctrap wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, there is (hopefully) always something like a DB on the other end, containing the data in a a fashion that makes it much easier to operate on (sql). But is that really RPA at that point ? Suppose your task is to scratch some data from a website, calculate something and if some condition is true also perform some form submit. If you do have access to the actual database you can just use that. If you also have acc…

Well, the truth is that developers often underestimate how hard it is for non-developers to write scripts. The reason why they don't understand why something like RPA exists is also known as 'The curse of knowledge'.

I think you're totally right. I could write a lot about this divergence between knowing how the technology works and trying to get something done with the limited tools or time you have. But essentially you're right.

Also that auto-hotkey script for automatic driving in GT is really impressive. ( https://github.com/ByPrinciple/GT7-Scripts/blob/main/PanAmer... ) So that's something between scripting and RPA. Essentially a DSL for exactly this task, which totally destroys my point. And does make a case for learning how to script with a tools that's capable enough, that it is useful for more than the best case.

Post by honey-badger » Sat, Mar 26, 2022, 6:38 AM UTC

nus07 wrote: post #57

xorcist wrote: post #11

Please explain to me what the use of RPA is. Here's my background in the subject: I have met with team of a dozen people that spent half a year doing something that turned out to be the functional equivalent on an SQL one-liner. They could not within our meeting slot accurately describe what it is they were doing, apart from "automating tedious work" (yes, but what is that work, specifically?) and kept insisting I wa…

I worked for a large healthcare system in the past where a lot of the data that I was providing bio-statisticians with required combining with some files from NIH,CMS and other websites. Now ideally there should have been ways to use APIs to get those files' data. However its so bureaucratic that to get API access there were hundreds of permissions and documents required which would take several months. So someone on…

Great perspective. Now if you were to take the place of Management and tell this exact story, how would it sound?

Re: My biggest mistake as an RPA developer

Re: My biggest mistake as an RPA developer