The near-exponential expansion in computing resources over the last few decades has enabled a rapid increase in the capabilities of computational science, including applications to materials research. In order to harness the available resources and accelerate the field of materials design, it is critically important to develop robust and reusable automation software for preparing and performing multistep computational workflows, starting with crystal structures and ending with material properties. In the domain of first-principles calculations of crystalline materials, we highlight emerging tools for automated symmetry analysis of the atomic and electronic structure. With automation capabilities in hand, the ever-increasing amount of data also becomes a serious bottleneck in terms of organization, analysis, and reproducibility. We describe some of the progress and strategic challenges in the development of a general infrastructure for coupling computational automation with data management, emphasizing data reproducibility and provenance capture.