In this customer use case, we explain how to turn a business need into a fully automated process. The business need was a scheduled import process with default parameters and a second almost identical parallel process with specific parameters. This initially meant that there were two, almost, copies of the same process that were running alongside each other, with the need to maintain both. The first Automation scheduled a process that reads a zipfile containing a TXT and a GPKG file on a daily frequency from sFTP and loads them into FME Flow Shared Resources. Thereafter, the default parameters inside the TXT file are used to import certain GPKG feature classes to specific schemas inside of the customer database. Whilst the other manual process Automation uses the parameters from a user-supplied TXT that imports needed feature classes from an upload GPKG to user-defined schemas. These two processes were configured in two parallel automations before, but with Automation Apps, new in FME Flow 2022.2, the Automation process can be re-used to make user-supplied manual runs and the need for a duplicate process is halted. The user data and automatically supplied data can be integrated into a singular Automation, by using the configurable parameters of the Automation App to mirror the default parameters of the scheduled process. The user parameters needed for the process to start and run correctly, can be read automatically from the TXT file or be supplied in the parameter fields in the Automation App. The end user can start the process whenever, while there is now only one working process that needs to be maintained. The data will be processed automatically on a schedule and the same process can be used to import user-supplied data to the needed environment while not interfering in the daily scheduled import.

1. Customer Use Case: How to create business
value with FME Flow Automation Apps

2. Presenters
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Marnick
Clé
FME Consultant
Nordend
Otto
Huisman
Domain Lead Built Environment
Cadac Group

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Agenda
1. Introduction
2. Old issue
3. New solution
4. Conclusion

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Introduction

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Simplify maintenance of
business processes

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Business import process
INPUT OUTPUT
- Geometry
- Feature types to import
- Schema name

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Business import process
Daily schedule
w/
Default parameters
Spontaneous imports
w/
User specific parameters

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Old issue

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Old solution
Two pairs of duplicated workspaces
● Maintenance x 3
● Workspace app
● Automation
● 2x identical workspaces

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“Reducing maintenance reduces the chances
to make mistakes and have oversights”.
Jelle De Zwaef
Founder, Nordend

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MANUAL PROCESS AUTOMATION
Input:
- User supplied textfile TXT with the
needed feature classes to import
- Geopackage GPKG
- schema name
- Schedule
= every 30 minutes triggered
- Checks sFTP location on possible new
data
- New data: download to shared
resources
- Data = zipfile with the GPKG and TXT

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New solution

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New solution
1 process (possible since FME Flow 2022.2)
No more duplication
● 1 automation – scheduled
● 1 automation app – manual runs
● (1 workspace app)

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Automation
Trigger every 30
minutes
Manual start triggered by
automation app

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Automation app – manual run
Select GPKG
OrgID = organization ID
(schema name)
Select TXT
Email adress

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Workspace app – manual run
PROBLEM: when selecting the GPKG or TXT
🡪 No upload possible from local disk

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Workspace app – manual run
WORKAROUND:
1. Make workspace
o INPUT parameters = GPKG and TXT file
o Upload input files to Shared Resources Temp - FME Flow (HTTPCallers)

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Workspace app – manual run
2. Make workspace app

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Conclusion

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Summary
● Reduce maintanence
● Increase readability

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USE AUTOMATION APPS TO
REDUCE MAINTANCE OF
DUPLICATED WORKSPACES

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Call to Action
1. Try out automation apps
2. Identify high-maintenance workflows
3. Decrease work with new technologies

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Resources
● Getting Started with Automation Apps
● Don't Hate, Automate! The Fundamentals of Automations
● Automation Apps Documentation

25. ThankYou!
marnick@nordend.eu