Collection in Blue Prism

Blue Prism Collections📊📈

Hey there, automation enthusiasts! Today, we're diving into the fascinating world of collections in Blue Prism, those versatile containers for your data. 🧰💾

🔹 What's a Collection, Anyway?

A collection is like a treasure chest for your data. It gathers various pieces of information from a business object in one go. Imagine it as a table with rows and columns, where the columns are called fields. You define these fields to organize your data.

💡 Example: In a stage named "Person," you can access a field called "Name" like this: [Person.Name]. Keep in mind, field names can't have square brackets or dots to avoid confusion.

🔹 Defined vs. Undefined Collections

- Defined: When you've set field names and data types in the collection stage properties.

- Undefined: When you haven't defined field names and data types. This is useful when dealing with data of varying structures, like spreadsheet data.

🎥 Check out this video for creating and using undefined collections in Blue Prism: [Insert Video Link]

🔹 Nested Collections

Collections can nest within each other. Whether defined or not, you can access them using the 'dot' syntax. For example, [Person.Qualifications.Type] accesses a field within a nested collection.

🔹 The Current Row

To access collection rows, you need a loop stage. It automatically moves through the rows sequentially. Be cautious, though; if there's no current row, it results in an error. Actions like entering a new loop or adding a new row can reset the "current row."

🔹 Manipulating Collections

Use the "Internal – Collections" business object to manipulate collections. You can add rows, remove them, or count the rows within a collection.

🔹 Single Row Collections

These always have one row, which is automatically set as the current row. Actions that manipulate rows will raise errors if used on single-row collections.

Examples:

📝 Undefined Collections: Retrieve data from a Microsoft Excel Worksheet.

- Add a collection stage for populating.

- Use the 'Get WorkSheet as collection' action to retrieve data.

- Fulfill preconditions (e.g., active workbook).

📝 Defined Collections: Retrieve data from a table with consistent field headers.

- Add a collection stage for populating.

- Define fields matching the data type.

- Configure the action to retrieve data.

With these collection tips, you're ready to handle data like a pro in Blue Prism! 🚀💼 Happy automating!

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