Many business processes require a recurring execution of complex tasks from end users. If something goes wrong, the business impact can be significant. As human errors are common, it pays off to look into automating such tasks as much as possible.
One of the options is to use Microsoft PowerShell; a command-line scripting language that allows performing several operations based on a script.
Let’s give a real-world example: a user needs to connect to the Microsoft Azure cloud environment (data storage) and start data pipelines which extract, transform and transfer information to specific data sets to be used as Tableau data sources. Once the data sources are available, the corresponding Tableau dashboards are refreshed to display the new information.
In this case a PowerShell script can be put together that:
- will perform certain data checks;
- handles some errors - an error handling will e.g. notify the user and send an email to the database administrator if source data is missing;
- and will complete the data load.
Another advantage: users don't need any of the login credentials needed to access the Azure or Tableau environment. Limiting access to these applications will prohibit the user from accidentally scrutinizing vital applications.
The PowerShell script is presented to the end user as an executable file that can be run on demand, handles all data manipulations and informs the user on the success of the outcome. Proper error handling makes sure that corrective actions can be taken when necessary.