How Do You Troubleshoot Automation?

Problem scenario
You have a task that is supposed to redirect the output to a file. The command produces output when you manually run it. But the output is not getting to the file. What could be wrong?

Possible Solution #1
If there is an error message, Google the error message. If that does not help, scrutinize the command before the error.

Possible Solution #2
Manually run the automation line-by-line if possible. Be aware of the different environment variables, current working directories, and user contexts associated with the automation. The small differences are not inconsequential.

Possible Solution #3
Has the automation ever worked? If so was a change made that broke it? To execute the script a triggering event needs to happen. Are you 100% sure that the initiating event happened? User authentication and network ports being blocked are two common problems that stymie automation. To troubleshoot network problems, see this posting.

Possible Solution #4
The user running the script does not have permissions to write to the destination location (e.g., of the file).

Possible Solution #5
If the automation is a crontab job, see this posting.

Possible Solution #6
If the automation involves a Linux command not writing/redirecting to a target file, see this posting.

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