Workstations

Workstations are the virtual employees within Spider. These workstations are assigned processes which they are allowed to run.

Dashboard

In the Spider dashboard, the workstations are always visible. These show the status within the Spider. The workstation overview shows which requests and process steps are being executed.

Terms

To use a workstation within the Spider, the following must be present:

• A Process
• The Process must have an Active status
• A Process must have at least one Process Step
• The Process must be linked to a Tool that is also linked to the Workstation
• The Workstation must be linked to the same Tool
• The Process or a Process Step must be linked to the Workstation
• The Workstation must be active

Part	Description
WorkstationId	The unique number of the workstation
Name	The name of the workstation
Status	The status of the workstation (Active/Inactive)
Last seen	Green: The workstation is active or ready to pick up work. The RPA Robot has reported to the Spider within the last 5 minutes.\
Red: The workstation reported to the Spider longer than 5 minutes ago. It may also be that a process processing takes longer than 5 minutes. So red is not always an indication of error. It depends on the process.
Current processStep	Which process step is the workstation engaged in.
Current Request	Which request is being handled.

Statuses

A workstation can contain multiple states:

Part	Description
Idle	The workstation is ready to pick up work.
Running	The workstation is handling a request.
In Maintenance	The workstation is in maintenance (manual action by Operator).
In Update	A preventive maintenance schedule is active for this workstation.

Tip

From version 1.8.0, it is possible to set a workstation to InMaintenance status from the Spider dashboard. This way, an Operator can quickly switch in case of problems or disruptions. In previous versions, this was only possible via the API.

#	Name	Active	Status	Last seen	Last Request
1	Agent_1				--
2	Agent_1				--
3	Agent_1				--
4	Agent_1				--
5	Agent_1				--
6	Agent_1				--
7	Agent_1		any	any	--
8	Agent_1			any	--

Status 1

• The workstation is active
• The process is online and a request is being processed.
• The workstation last reported to the Spider within 5 minutes (minimum time).

Status 2

• The workstation is active
• The process is online and a request is being processed.
• However, it remains in "running" because the Robot has not reported to the Spider within the specified time
• The robot is logged out and needs to be restarted.
• Or the process takes longer than 5 minutes to process. The robot has not yet been able to report to the Spider. Insight into the process and processing time is important here.
• The workstation reported to the Spider longer than 5 minutes ago.
• Possibly the robot has logged out and needs to be restarted.
• A process has been running for more than 5 minutes, so the robot has not been able to report back (yet).

Status 3

• The workstation is active.
• The process is online.
• The robot is online and has nothing to do.

Status 4

• The workstation is active.
• The process is in maintenance.
• An error may have occurred in the request.
• This has caused the process to go into maintenance.
• The robot last reported to the Spider more than 5 minutes ago.
• The robot may also have been logged off due to this error.

Status 5

• The workstation is active.
• The process is in maintenance.
• This can be put in maintenance by an operator. If the process is allowed to run on another workstation it is useful to check that one for the current status.
• The process is not allowed to run at all and has been put in maintenance by an operator
• The robot has reported to the Spider for the last time more than 5 minutes ago.
• The robot has logged off or has not reported to Spider for some other reason.

Status 6

• The workstation is active.
• The process is in maintenance.
• The robot has reported to the Spider for the last time more than 5 minutes ago.
• The robot has logged off or has not reported to Spider for some other reason.

Status 7

• The workstation is inactive and can not be used.

Status 8

• The workstation is active.
• The workstation is "In Update".
• A maintenance schedule is active for this workstation
• Once the schedule is over, the workstation is automatically rescheduled and returned to its previous state.

Create workstation

Navigate to Workstations > Maintain And click "Add New."

1. Select the Workstation tab.
2. Give a clear short name for the workstation.
3. The API key is automatically generated when you save the workstation.
4. Select the desired tool for this workstation.
5. Set the workstation to Active.
6. Click Save to save the settings.

We will cover the second tab SAIO Configuration later.

In the overview we see our Agent_3 again. The last seen status is still red, because the robot has not yet reported to the Spider via the API.

Linking process

Before a workstation can be used, a selection has to be made as to which processes are allowed to run on this workstation. Modify the workstation we just created.

Select which processes this workstation may pick up. Click "Add" to add one or more.

1. Select the Processes tab
2. Select a desired process.
3. Click Add to link this process.
4. Check to see if the process is among them.
5. In case you want to disconnect the process, click on the X.
6. Click Save to save the settings.

Workstations should have the same settings if they need to be able to handle the same processes.

SAIO Configuration

This component is available from version 1.6.8 and offers the possibility to schedule workstations preventively for maintenance work. For each workstation the same or different schedules can be entered. This configuration depends on a number of conditions which are discussed here.

Info

The first requirement for using SAIO Schedules is that an API Link to SAIO has been set up. See SAIO Settings for more information.

The second condition is that the Unattended Robot is linked to the Virtual machine. If there are multiple virtual machines, then the selected Unattended robots must also be linked to them.

For this explanation, we will assume that the above conditions are met.

Linking SAIO

Navigate to Menu > Workstations > Maintain and edit the Workstation. Select the SAIO Configuration tab.

1. Select the desired Unattended robot
2. Select the VirtualMachine for the Unattended robot.
3. Select the bot running on the Unattended robot.

Click Save to save the configuration.

Example SAIO setup

In SAIO, we have the following setup:

Part	Description
Omgeving	PROD
Container	PRD
Bot	Container: PRD / SVC_Nidaros01
Virtual Machine	RoboRDS
Unattended Robot	svc Nidaros (is gekoppeld aan RoboRDS)

Info

A bot is a collection of scripts that run on an (Unattended) Robot.

Info

For SAIO, we utilize our in-house developed Nidaros Heartbeat service to allow the Robot to schedule itself or another RPA Robot and start a botrunner script, after which it automatically retrieves work from the Spider.

If you would like more information on this or if this is possible for your RPA tool, please contact us for further details.

Maintenance schedule

The RPA Robot retrieves work from the Spider by using the API key of the Spider workstation in the scripts.

To prevent an RPA robot from retrieving work via a workstation while maintenance is taking place by the IT department or if the Workstation is not allowed to do anything for any reason, maintenance schedules have been developed.

The Spider automatically puts the workstation in an InUpdate status, preventing the workstation from fetching any work.

This means that no processes on that workstation will be processed.

Once the end time of the schedule has expired, the Spider releases the workstation again, and the RPA robot automatically retrieves the work again.

Dependencies

• Hangfire Hangfire
• Runtime Cronjob

Maintenance Types

There are several options available:

• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly

Daily

Every x day

This can be used when the workstation is not allowed to do anything every day or every x day.

Some examples:

• Every day between 09:00 and 10:00, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.
• Every second day between 09:00 and 10:00, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.
• Every fifth day between 09:00 and 10:00, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.
• etc.

Every workday

Another option is to put a workstation in maintenance mode only on weekdays at a specific time. The weekdays are Monday through Friday and are not configurable.

Every weekday (Mon through Fri), the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work between 11:00 and 12:00.

Weekly

Here, we want the workstation to be put in InUpdate mode every x weeks on all days between 12:30 and 12:45, so that no work can or may be fetched.

Some examples:

• Every week on Tuesday between 12:30 and 12:45, the workstation is put in InUpdate mode, so no work can be fetched.
• Every week on Monday and Wednesday between 12:30 and 12:45, the workstation is put in InUpdate mode, so no work can be fetched.
• Every 2nd week on Tuesday between 12:30 and 12:45, the workstation is put in InUpdate mode, so no work can be fetched.
• The last example means that the workstation will be put in InUpdate mode every other week from now on.

Monthly

Here are a total of 3 options possible, each with their specific setup:

• [1] x Day of Each x months
• [2] Nth Day of Each x Months
• [3] Nth Workday of Each x Months

Option 1

Here are some examples:

• Every first day of every month between 13:00 and 13:15, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.
• Every 8th day of every month between 13:00 and 13:15, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.
• Every 25th day of every month between 13:00 and 13:15, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.

Tip

Please remember that the day before the end of every month must also exist. February does not have a 31st day.

Option 2

Here are some examples:

• Every first Monday of every month between 13:00 and 13:15, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.
• Every second Friday of every month between 13:00 and 13:15, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.
• Every last Friday of every month between 13:00 and 13:15, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.
• Every last Wednesday and Friday of every month between 13:00 and 13:15, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.

Option 3

Here are some examples:

• Every third workday of every month between 13:00 and 13:15, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.
• Every last workday of every month between 13:00 and 13:15, the workstation is not allowed to fetch any work.

Create maintenance schedule

Navigate to Menu > Workstations > Maintain and edit the Workstation.

1. Select the Update Scheduler tab.

2. Click the icon to create a new schedule.

Edit maintenance schedule

Of course, the schedule can be edited. Click on the pencil icon to adjust the settings.

Deactivate schedule

If the maintenance is no longer taking place, you can of course delete or deactivate the schedule. Deactivating can be done by clicking on the icon. Deleting can be done by clicking on the cross.

Warning

If a workstation/robot is in active maintenance then the active schedule must not be deleted! Otherwise the robot will not return to its previous state once the maintenance schedule has expired.

Tip

If you unexpectedly delete the active schedule while a robot is on In Update, you can get the robot back in 2 ways:

1. Manually set the workstation to the In Maintenance state and then uncheck this state immediately. Then the robot will be active again and will be picked up automatically.

2. Or create a new schedule with the same times or a time that has already ended. Even then, the robot is automatically picked up again.

Update scenarios

There are several options when a workstation may or may not pick up work, when the robot may or may not be rescheduled on the server.

A number of components are important here:

• The session status of a robot account on a windows server (where the robot runs)
• A robot has been scheduled previously. This time must be at least 5 minutes older than the last schedule.
• A robot may not be rescheduled earlier than 5 minutes from the previous schedule.
• A robot that has been logged in may not be rescheduled.
• If a robot is on inactive or in maintenance, it may be set to in Update, but it may not be rescheduled after the schedule has expired. The status must be reset to the previous status.

The other scenarios are listed below.

Linking Process Step

As of version 1.6.9, it is possible to link a Process Step to a workstation. Some ProcessSteps may only be executed by a certain robot, but also by several, which speeds up processing. This way, robots are used in the most optimal way.

If a workstation is allowed to run a Process, but the underlying Process Steps are already assigned to other workstations, this workstation will not pick up any work. The Process Step link has priority over a process.

Spider rights

To add or remove a process Step, these permissions are required for the user:

• IWM_WORKER_ADD_PROCESSSTEP_POST
• IWM_WORKER_REMOVE_PROCESSSTEP_DEL

Add Process Step

Open workstations in de Spider and edit one. Go to the Process Steps tab.

Now select a process Step and click Add to add.

Click Save to make the change.

Delete Process Step

In the same way, a ProcessStage can be deleted again. Click on the icon to delete the Step again.

Example Process Steps

Below is an example of a Process with 2 underlying process Steps.

Case 1

Workstation	Process linked	Process Step 1 linked	Process Step 2 linked
Agent_1		--	--
Agent_2	--	--	--

Result: Agent_1 processes the process. | Agent_2 does nothing

Case 2

Workstation	Process linked	Process Step 1 linked	Process Step 2 linked
Agent_1		--	--
Agent_2		--	--

Result: Agent_1 and Agent_2 may both process the complete process

Case 3

Workstation	Process linked	Process Step 1 linked	Process Step 2 linked
Agent_1		--	--
Agent_2	--		--

Result: Agent_1 processes only Process Step 2. Agent_2 processes Process Step 1

Case 4

Workstation	Process linked	Process Step 1 linked	Process Step 2 linked
Agent_1		-- --
Agent_2	--

Result: agent_1 processes Process Step 1. Agent_2 processes Process Step 2

Case 5

Workstation	Process linked	Process Step 1 linked	Process Step 2 linked
Agent_1		--	--
Agent_2	--

Result: agent_1 does not process nothing. Agent_2 processes Process Step 1 and 2

Case 6

Workstation	Process linked	Process Step 1 linked	Process Step 2 linked
Agent_1	--
Agent_2	--

Result: Both Agent_1 and Agent_2 are allowed to process Process Step 1 and 2.

Case 7

Workstation	Process linked	Process Step 1 linked	Process Step 2 linked
Agent_1
Agent_2

Result: Both Agent_1 and Agent_2 are allowed to process both Process Steps.

Workstation overview

An overview of the workstations and which tools they use can easily be found in Menu > Workstations > Overview. Which workstation is linked to which tool and which request was last handled by a workstation. The last seen and active status can also be found here.

The workstations are displayed by tool.