Automate

Hello Automate Community!

This week's tip is around organizing your scripts and templates. By implementing some of these tips, it can help make it easier to keep track of your solutions.

File Names

For your script and Excel file names, it is important to find a naming convention that works for your company and is easy to maintain. 

You want to think about important details like:

• SAP transaction code or BAPI name
• Brief description
• Business unit, functional area, region
• SAP system (if you operate in multiple SAP systems)
• If using GUI Scripting mode, consider adding 'GUI' to the name
• Is this a chained or individual script?

Here's an example of a file name convention:

You don't need a very long file name, but you want to include enough details so it's easy to search. The last thing you want to do is hunt for a script by opening each one.

Another TIP: When saving new scripts and templates, I like to keep the same file name for my script and Excel template. This makes it easier to know which script belongs to which template.

Add Documentation to Excel template
It is important to have some form of documentation that explains why a solution was created and how to use it. This is especially important as you build more scripts and add new users. Without documentation, I find myself spending extra time digging into the script and figuring out why I created it in the first place. 

At a bare minimum, I recommend creating a README or Instructions sheet in your Excel data file. 

Within that sheet, you can include things like:

• What scripts are mapped to the Excel file
• Use-case description, additional background and context
• Screenshots of SAP screens/fields being touched by the script
• Specific instructions or notes on how to fill out Excel template
• Sample data
• FAQ's

This README sheet can serve several purposes:

• Helps with change management and training new users
• Reduces questions sent to the script developers
• Allows users to quickly find the right solution for their need
• Consolidates documentation to one place, instead of separate documents

How do you organize your scripts and documents? 

Share and Comment below

------------------------------
Yoon Chung
Senior Solutions Engineer
Precisely Software Inc.
NJ
------------------------------

Oh great tips!

I agree and follow all the same processes, except one. I don't include documentation "README" in the template. For some of the more difficult or unclear scripts/queries, I have informational documents for the users to keep on file and refer back to. However, I always include an "examples" tab which gives real world scenarios for completing the template. 

The additional documentation input into the template, is a great idea and something we should start to incorporate here. 

Thank you!

------------------------------
Vanessa Kutasi
Foundation Admin./Application Analyst II
Idexx Operations, Inc.
USA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-08-2024 17:33
From: Yoon Chung
Subject: Tip of the Week - File Names and Documentation

Hello Automate Community!

This week's tip is around organizing your scripts and templates. By implementing some of these tips, it can help make it easier to keep track of your solutions.

File Names

For your script and Excel file names, it is important to find a naming convention that works for your company and is easy to maintain. 

You want to think about important details like:

• SAP transaction code or BAPI name
• Brief description
• Business unit, functional area, region
• SAP system (if you operate in multiple SAP systems)
• If using GUI Scripting mode, consider adding 'GUI' to the name
• Is this a chained or individual script?

Here's an example of a file name convention:

You don't need a very long file name, but you want to include enough details so it's easy to search. The last thing you want to do is hunt for a script by opening each one.

Another TIP: When saving new scripts and templates, I like to keep the same file name for my script and Excel template. This makes it easier to know which script belongs to which template.

Add Documentation to Excel template
It is important to have some form of documentation that explains why a solution was created and how to use it. This is especially important as you build more scripts and add new users. Without documentation, I find myself spending extra time digging into the script and figuring out why I created it in the first place. 

At a bare minimum, I recommend creating a README or Instructions sheet in your Excel data file. 

Within that sheet, you can include things like:

• What scripts are mapped to the Excel file
• Use-case description, additional background and context
• Screenshots of SAP screens/fields being touched by the script
• Specific instructions or notes on how to fill out Excel template
• Sample data
• FAQ's

This README sheet can serve several purposes:

• Helps with change management and training new users
• Reduces questions sent to the script developers
• Allows users to quickly find the right solution for their need
• Consolidates documentation to one place, instead of separate documents

How do you organize your scripts and documents? 

Share and Comment below

------------------------------
Yoon Chung
Senior Solutions Engineer
Precisely Software Inc.
NJ
------------------------------