Unit introduction
Welcome to the first unit of the Handling errors in Make course!
This unit helps you build a strong foundation in understanding errors in Make. You will learn:
- what are errors in Make
- which errors you can encounter
- how errors impact your scenarios
It will be an exciting project, so get ready to build this new skill!
Errors in Make
Let’s start with the basics.
What are errors in Make?
In Make, an error is an unexpected issue that prevents your scenario from running successfully.
Errors can happen for numerous reasons: problems with data, account settings, API calls, etc. You will have a look at them in more detail in the next pages.
Think of Helen the Homeowner renovating her house. The construction started, but the tiles don’t fit, the plumbing isn’t connected properly, or the supplier delivers the wrong cabinets. These issues will definitely prevent the renovation from running successfully!
Errors affect your scenario runs. Understanding what causes them and how to fix or avoid them will help prevent data loss when the run stops and make your scenarios more efficient.
Helen wants to know if Will the Worker has painted her bedroom in her favorite shade of green and not neon green, so she can fix the issue. If needed, she can send him to get the right paint and keep the renovation moving forward. Without just crying over spilt paint.
In this unit, you will learn about errors and their impact on your scenarios. In the following units, you’ll learn how to manage them within your scenarios to prevent them from stopping.
Error types
Errors can happen for different reasons, and understanding them is key to knowing what’s going on with your scenarios. There are 4 types of errors.
Organization limits
These errors are related to the limits of your organization account. Make sets usage limits for your organization, including credit usage, data transfers, and file sizes depending on your plan.
These limits are tracked monthly and can’t be exceeded. If you go over these limits, you won’t be able to start your scenarios.
Helen’s house renovation project has limits, such as how many appliances can run at once, how much work can be done in a day, or the size of the rooms. Arnold the Architect better be careful not to exceed these limits, otherwise he will have to adjust his plan to fit within them.
Data handling and validation
Data handling and validation errors occur when there are issues with the data passed between the modules of a scenario.
In a scenario, a module gets data from other modules or third-party applications to process it. Make checks the data first to make sure it’s correct and complete. This helps ensure only valid data moves through the workflow. If the data doesn’t meet the right format or conditions, the scenario will generate an error because the process could fail or give wrong results.
Before starting the renovation, Arnold needs to check if the materials are correct and complete. If the wrong tiles are delivered or all the pipes are missing, the work has to stop till all the right material is available.
API related
API related errors happen when communicating with the API.
In the Introduction to HTTP course, you learned that an API is a tool that helps software applications to communicate with each other. Apps and modules in Make allow you to easily call APIs, and send and receive data. Issues can happen during this communication, like when an API is temporarily unavailable, receives too many requests, or authentication fails. In these cases, Make will output an error.
Arnold the Architect needs to work with Susan the Supplier to get all the materials for the house renovation. If there’s an issue, like he’s unable to place an order or confirm a delivery, the renovation has to stop.
Make system and executions
These kind of errors are specific to how Make handles waiting times in a scenario and how errors can be handled automatically in the scenario. You will learn more details in the next slides.
Think of Will the Worker, taking too long to install the tiles, or Arnold finding that Will messed up the stock amount while trying to fix the fact that he ordered the wrong tiles.
The renovation project is in serious trouble here!
Note: In the next pages, you’ll find a detailed description of common error types and how to fix them manually by adjusting your scenario. By default, any data processed when the error occurs is no longer available, and you’ll need to resend it for processing. Later in this unit, you’ll learn how scenarios behave when an error happens, and in the next units, you’ll see how to set up automatic error handling.
Organization limits
Let’s dive into the most common error types in more detail, starting with organization limits. As mentioned earlier, these errors are related to the limits imposed by Make on the organization accounts.
Data Size Limit Exceeded Error
Each organization has a monthly limit on the total gigabytes of data transferred through modules. When this limit is exceeded, you won’t be able to keep running your scenarios.
To fix this error look into upgrading your organization plan or buy more credits.
Helen has a fixed quota electricity contract, meaning she can only use a limited amount of electricity during a specific time frame. Arnold installs and plugs in the air conditioner, washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, and two microwaves, using up all of Helen’s electricity limit and causing the power to shut off.
Max File Size Limit Exceeded Error
Each organization has a limit on the maximum file size it can process. When a module tries to handle a file that exceeds this limit, it can’t complete the process and generates an error.
To fix this error look into upgrading your organization plan, or find a way to process smaller files.
Arnold ordered a massive front door, but it doesn’t fit the frame. Now, Will must either resize the door, adjust the entrance, or get a new one that fits.
Credit Limit Exceeded Error
Each organization has a set number of credits available per month. If you reach this limit and run out of credits, you won’t be able to run any new scenarios until next month.
To fix this error look into upgrading your organization plan or buy more credits.
Will the worker has a set number of hours contracted per month. Every task, like painting walls or installing fixtures, uses up some of that time. Once the hours run out, he finishes the task, but won’t start any other job.
Data handling and validation
Data handling and validation errors are related to the data transferred and used within the modules. This data can come from other modules or third-party applications.
Bundle Validation Error
Make checks the data when it arrives to each module to make sure it matches the required data structure. For example, if the module expects a Text value but gets a Number instead, the check will fail, and Make will raise this error. This also happens when calling a third-party API. If the API expects a Text value but gets a Number, the API’s own validation will fail, causing an error in Make.
Review the mappings in the module settings.
Before laying down tiles, Will checks if they are the right type and size. If they don’t match what Helen wants, he can’t use them, and he needs to get the correct ones before Helen bursts into tears of despair.
Data Error
The data you’re transferring has the right data type but the wrong format. For example, if a date should be in DD-MM-YYYY format, but you send it as YYYY/MM/DD, the module won’t recognize it and will output this error.
Review the mappings in the module settings.
Arnold orders a marble countertop with the right material, but the sink cut-out is in the wrong place. He ordered the correct item, but the configuration is not as planned. He’d better fix it before installing it.
Duplicated Data Error
A module outputs this error when you try to send the same data to an application that doesn’t accept duplicates. For example, if you’re creating a new user in an application and the email address is already in use, you’ll get this error.
Review the scenario setup.
Arnold has ordered the kitchen cabinets twice by mistake. Now, Helen has two sets arriving, but only has space for one, and doesn’t know what to do with the second one. Arnold will need to sort this and send one back!
Incomplete Data Error
A module outputs this error when it can only retrieve part of the data from a third-party application. For example, this happens when you try to download a file from Google Drive before it’s fully uploaded.
Analyze the cause of incomplete data from the source.
Will is trying to assemble a wardrobe, but he’s missing screws and shelves. He can’t finish the job until he has found all the missing parts.
API related
These errors occur when interacting with third-party APIs, either by sending or receiving data.
Note: Each API will produce error messages based on how it has been set up by its developers. It will also include an HTTP status code, as you learned in the Introduction to HTTP course. In Make, when developing the app that connects to an API, the developer can either use the error message and status code from the API or change them. This means that sometimes the error you see might be different from what you would have expected, depending on how the app in Make was set up.
Account Validation Error
Before a scenario runs, Make usually checks all connections to third-party applications. If it can’t authenticate you, for example if you changed your password, the scenario won’t start, and you’ll see this error.
Review your credentials in both the application and your Make connection.
Before Arnold can place an order with Susan the Supplier, he needs an approved account. If his registration is incomplete or Susan hasn’t verified his details, he won’t be able to make a purchase.
Connection Error
Sometimes, third-party servers may be unavailable, such as during maintenance. When this happens, Make won’t be able to connect, and the module will raise this error.
Check the third-party application or the status of their API.
Imagine Arnold calling Susan the Supplier, to confirm a delivery, but the phone line is down or she doesn’t pick up. Arnold cannot communicate with Susan, so he can’t organize the shipment.
Rate Limit Error
Third-party services set limits on how many requests you can send in a certain time, for example to keep their systems running smoothly. If you go over this limit, the API blocks any more requests for a set period defined by the API itself, and Make will show this error.
Change the limits of the third-party application.
Arnold orders cement, bricks, wood, and sand all at once, but Susan the Supplier receives too many orders at the same time. She can’t deal with everything at once, so she limits the number of orders Arnold can place. Arnold must wait before submitting a new one.
Runtime Error
The API returns an error that doesn’t fit any of the types mentioned previously. In this case, the module returns this general error.
Check the error message and the third-party application.
Will notices that the shipment of pipes has slight bends, which will prevent proper installation. This is an unusual issue, so he texts Arnold about the general error and tells him to come to the site immediately. And he stops working while waiting for him.
Make system and executions
These are errors related to how Make works.
Module Timeout Error
If a module takes more than a specific time (usually 40 seconds) to process or get data from a third-party API, it will raise this error. This limit helps manage unexpected delays from the API.
To fix this error when retrieving data, try to change the Limit of the number of data you request or send.
If Will waits too long for a cement truck to arrive at the site, the project stalls. To avoid long delays, Arnold sets a rule: if the truck takes more than 40 minutes, he calls the supplier to check what’s going on.
Inconsistency Error
If an error happens and the scenario stops without completing, you can undo the changes made by the certain modules. You will learn about this in the next units. This process is called rollback. If two scenarios modify the same database and one tries to roll back changes while the other has already saved new data, the rollback fails, causing this error.
To fix this error check your data and fix it if necessary.
Susan delivered 1000 nails for the renovation project. Will took 700 nails to fix a wall, and Arnold informed Susan that more nails were needed because the stock was running low. But then Will realizes you don’t need nails to fix a wall, and returns all 700, messing up with the stock count.
Scenario behavior
When an error occurs during a scenario run, the run stops right away and the data is no longer processed. In the next units, you’ll learn how to prevent this, so you don’t lose any data.
If Helen spots an issue, like she notices that the tiles in the bathroom are not straight, she stops the task immediately! What about the whole renovation project?
What happens to the scenario with the error? And to the other scenarios in your organization? Your scenario behaves differently based on the type of error, whether the error happens in the first module of the scenario or not, and the scenario settings.
Note: In this course you won’t go into too much detail about which errors, conditions, and settings cause specific behaviors, as this could get too complex. What you need to know is how your scenario could behave and recognize it when it happens.
Scenario Paused and Retried
The scenario is paused to prevent the same error from happening again in any new runs. The new runs are retried at set times. This usually happens with errors like the Rate Limit Error, where waiting and retrying is needed.
If the drill overheats, Will will need to wait for it to cool down before he can use it again. And he decides to take a nap in the meantime.
Scenario Deactivated (Consecutive Errors)
If three errors occur in the same scenario during consecutive runs, the scenario will be deactivated. You’ll need to check what went wrong and manually activate the scenario for it to be available again.
Will connects all the appliances, but the electricity keeps cutting out. After it happens three times, he stops and tells Arnold about the problem.
Scenario Immediately Deactivated
The scenario is immediately deactivated. That’s it! You need to go and have a look at what happened and manually reactivate the scenario to run it again.
Will is painting the bathroom black. As soon as Helen notices it, she stops him immediately. Who wants a black bathroom?
All Scenarios Paused
All your scenarios are paused and you can’t run anything. This usually happens when you exceed your organization limits, like running out of credits. You’ll need to resolve this before running your scenarios again.
Will has run out of cement and has to stop all work until he gets more.
Wrap up
In Make, errors are issues that prevent your scenario from running properly. They can happen due to problems with your organization limit, data, settings, or API calls.
When an error occurs, the run stops and the data is not processed. Understanding why errors happen and how to fix or avoid them helps prevent data loss.
The scenario’s behavior depends on the error type, where it occurs, and your scenario settings. For example, Make can pause and retry it later, wait for three errors before deactivating it, or deactivate it immediately. It can even pause all scenarios if you exceed account limits.