Course Outline
Day 1: Workflows and the AI Step
Introduction
- Determining when to automate, when to use an AI step and when to deploy an agent
- Contextualising n8n: cloud versus self-hosted, and the implications for company data
n8n Fundamentals
- Understanding workflows, nodes, triggers and executions
- Transferring data between nodes by dragging fields, eliminating the need for syntax typing
- Analysing executions to identify and resolve issues
App and Data Integration
- Utilising webhooks and form triggers
- Working with spreadsheet, email and calendar nodes
- Managing credentials and authentication for external services
- A step-by-step guide to the HTTP Request node
The AI Step
- Integrating a model into a workflow
- Crafting prompts for dependable output
- Achieving structured output and automatically correcting malformed responses
- Classifying and extracting data from emails, forms and documents
Decision Making and Actions
- Implementing branching logic with If and Switch
- Setting up approval steps: requiring human sign-off before actions are executed
- Recording results in spreadsheets and dispatching notifications
Practical Lab: First End-to-End Workflow
- Processing an incoming request to achieve a classified, recorded and routed outcome
Day 2: Agents and Operations
Agents
- Defining an agent: its model, memory and tools
- Choosing between a fixed workflow and an agent
- Granting an agent access to corporate documents and spreadsheets
Active Agents
- Configuring tools that read data and tools that write data
- Establishing system prompt rules: mandatory fields, prohibiting invented data and preventing duplicate records
- Testing agent robustness by attempting to break it
Channels
- Deploying a chat interface for internal use
- Connecting the agent to a single messaging channel
Reliability
- Implementing error workflows, retries and notifications
- Maintaining logs and execution history
- Managing model and execution costs
Data and Privacy
- Identifying what data leaves the company when a model is invoked
- Demonstration of self-hosting and local models by the instructor
- Reviewing a checklist with the IT or legal team
Building Workflows with AI
- Using an AI assistant to draft a workflow
- Reviewing the draft: understanding each node’s function, data sources and handling of empty states
Final Project and Next Steps
- Participants complete and present a workflow featuring an AI step and an agent applied to their own process
- Developing a maintenance plan and identifying future automation candidates
Deliverable: A functional workflow incorporating an AI step, an agent linked to company data, error handling and a review checklist.
Requirements
- No programming background is necessary
- Familiarity with web applications and spreadsheets
- A clear understanding of one repetitive task within their own role
Target Audience
- Professionals in business, operations and customer-facing roles
- Team leaders and process owners
- Non-developers aiming to build automations and AI agents using company data
Testimonials (3)
The trainer is patient and very helpful. He knows the topic well.
CLIFFORD TABARES - Universal Leaf Philippines, Inc.
Course - Agentic AI for Business Automation: Use Cases & Integration
Good mixvof knowledge and practice
Ion Mironescu - Facultatea S.A.I.A.P.M.
Course - Agentic AI for Enterprise Applications
The mix of theory and practice and of high level and low level perspectives
