API Task FAQs (.30 content)

Review the FAQs to learn more about API Tasks.

How does an API Task execute compared to a Task Bot?

API Tasks execute in the Automation 360 Cloud, unlike Task Bots, which use the bot runner devices on the customer's infrastructure. API Tasks do not perform desktop interactions like Task Bots and can start quickly and potentially run faster than Task Bots.

In addition, the product is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) compliant. API Task is also part of the platform that is SOC 2 compliant. All API Task data is encrypted and we also provide encryption for both moving and static data.

If one of the devices goes down in my API device pool, would another be spun up automatically?
Yes, everything is managed for you.
What is the lifespan of the devices that spin up?
Your API device pool's resources are available for the duration of your configuration.
Are the Beta tenants isolated?
Beta tenants are isolated. There is no sharing of data between your Beta tenant and your production tenant or any other Beta tenant.
Can I manage/reallocate cloud devices on the Beta tenant?
You will have the ability to manage how you allocate the devices in the Beta tenant to work with the API Tasks you run from Forms and Process. For the Forms use case, where real-time response is required, you need to dedicate one or more devices to the API Task based on the concurrency you require. The remaining devices in your tenant will be automatically dedicated to the Process use case; in this case, API Task executions are queued based on the availability of devices to run them.
Do I need a Bot Creator and Bot Runner license to do the Beta?
You only need 1 Bot Creator license for Beta testing (this is already available in the Beta environment). All executions for API Tasks occur on cloud devices. There is no cost for Beta participants to use the Beta environment.
Does anything need to be set up on the deployment machine?
API Tasks execute on the Automation 360 Cloud devices; therefore, no customer devices on their infrastructure need to be set up.
Do I need to perform any device installation?
Cloud devices run on clusters managed by Automation Anywhere. There is no device installation required by the customer.
Are there any special errors when a device goes down?
You might see an error: Deployment ID not found in the current Beta release. To avoid any such deployment ID errors, you must ensure that the following sequence is followed for creating and deploying the API Tasks.
  1. Create an API Task.
  2. Create a form and configure the API Task in the form.
  3. Create a process and configure the form with the attached API Task.
  4. Check-in the API Task to the public repository.
  5. Once the API Task is checked-in you must add it to the device pool.
  6. Run the process to test your automation.
Is there a timeout for the API Task execution?
No timeout is enforced.
What kind of data and for how long does the information persist on the cloud devices?
Transient data does not persist; only the API Task metadata is saved.
Why the run option is not available in the API Task editor?
The API Task editor does not have the run option as an API Task cannot be deployed individually. You must invoke the API Task in a form or process. Then run the process to deploy the API Task.
How do I find errors in my API Task?
To verify if your API Task logic is correct, you can use the debugger tool and watch the output variables. You can also use the error handler package actions to check for any errors in the API Task.
What is pre-warming?
Pre-warming is the process of pre installing the API Task logic and commands on Cloud devices preparing it to handle incoming requests. During warming, all API Task dependencies including libraries are installed beforehand. This is beneficial since it eliminates the need to check for dependencies before deploying the API Task. Hence, API Tasks run with very low latency. API Tasks that are invoked in a form must be pre-warmed on a Cloud device for it to execute successfully. Before you execute a process that has the form (API Task attached), you can check if the API Task is pre-warmed in the audit logs. For more details, see View API Task run time audit logs.
What are the packages supported for API Tasks?
The following Cloud compatible packages are supported in Automation 360 Control Room for API Tasks in v.30 release.
Table 1. API Tasks supported packages
Package name Version
Apigee action package 2.0.1 or later
Boolean package 2.9.0 or later
Comment package 2.14.0 or later
Credential package 1.6.0 or later
Data Table package 4.8.0 or later
Database package 5.1.0 or later
Datetime package 2.12.1 or later
Delay package 3.8.0 or later
Dictionary package 3.12.0 or later
Error handler package 2.11.3-20230316-162433 or later
Generative AI package 1.1.0 or later
Genesys package 2.0.0 or later
Google Calendar package 2.12.0 or later
Google Drive package 2.13.0 or later
Google Sheets package 2.14.0 or later
If package 3.6.2-20230316-161323 or later
JSON package 1.4.1 or later
List package 2.11.0 or later
Loop package 3.7.5-20230316-155504 or later
Microsoft 365 Calendar package 2.13.3 or later
Microsoft 365 Excel package 2.13.3 or later
Microsoft 365 OneDrive package 2.13.3 or later
Microsoft 365 Outlook package 1.1.5 or later
Number package 3.8.0 or later
Process Composer package 7.30.1-20230809-171715 or later
Record package 1.8.2 or later
REST Web Service package 3.15.0 or later
Salesforce package 2.0.1 or later
ServiceNow package 2.0.1 or later
SharePoint package 2.1.2 or later
SOAP Web Service package 3.17.0 or later
Step package 2.5.0-20230105-135537 or later
String package 5.8.0 or later
Wait package 4.9.0 or later
Workday package 1.2.0 or later
XML package 3.11.0 or later