ThinkAutomation: A Powerful Tool for File Parsing

If your work or your company’s work involves processing hundreds of different data sources to generate another dataset, you’ve likely considered automating this process. This can be achieved with specialized parsing applications that can be trained to process data independently and deliver results in the required format.

For example, ThinkAutomation is an application that helps set up automated processing and file parsing locally on your computer or within your organization.

How It Works

A quick note: although the application can be used individually, it’s primarily designed for company-wide implementation, which becomes evident during the initial setup process. During setup, you’ll need to select which components to install and which database to connect to.

Generally, you can blindly click “Next” and end up with a local installation that can be configured for team collaboration.

However, the real challenges come afterward—particularly if you’re unfamiliar with similar software. If you have prior experience, the learning curve will be less steep.

ThinkAutomation has two main tabs: Explorer and Message Store.

To set up or adjust automation, go to the Explorer tab and create a new file source. Entry points can include mail servers, APIs, web forms, databases, and more.

The specific steps for configuring a source vary greatly depending on the source type. Next, you’ll need to set up your own automation, which requires at least a basic knowledge of programming.

While you don’t need to be a programmer per se, ThinkAutomation doesn’t provide a visual “drag-and-drop” editor for configuration. Instead, you’ll need to select the required set of actions and manually specify what to extract and in what format.

As with an IDE, you can debug the processing algorithm and check the output. Once everything is working, new messages with automation results will appear in the Message Store tab.

Key Features

During the initial setup or later on, you can configure integration with ChatGPT via API.

ThinkAutomation can be set up to work in the cloud and automate the processing of emails, documents, databases, and more. It also allows integration with various APIs both for input and output.

Pricing

There are several licensing options: with or without support, as well as one-time payment or subscription. The cheapest option, a one-time payment without support, costs £2760.

With this license, you’ll be able to use five different sources and process up to 500 messages per day, limited to a single user.