What should you do first when an exception occurs in a process?

When an exception occurs in a process, the first step to take is to log the exception. Logging the exception captures important details about the error, such as the type of exception, the time it occurred, and any relevant context that can help in diagnosing and resolving the issue. This information is invaluable for understanding what went wrong and is critical for future troubleshooting.

By logging the exception first, you create a record that can guide developers and support teams in analyzing the failure. It allows you to maintain a history of issues which can identify patterns or recurring problems in the system. Correctly handling exceptions and maintaining logs aligns with best practices in software development and robotic process automation, as it provides visibility into the health and performance of your automated processes.

Taking immediate action like terminating the process, retrying the transaction, or ignoring the exception without logging it can lead to a loss of important diagnostic information. Termination might be necessary later, but it should come after understanding the fault to prevent similar issues in the future. Retrying may also be useful in some cases, but without logging, it may not be clear why the initial attempt failed. Ignoring the exception is never advisable, as it could lead to undetected issues that may compound over time.