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A Basic Introduction To Robotic Process Automation and Presently Available RPA Tools

This document provides a basic introduction to robotic process automation (RPA) and available RPA tools. It defines RPA as using software robots to automate business processes by interacting with other systems, making decisions based on multiple inputs, and having an interface for programming. The document outlines the core functionalities of RPA tools and the evolution of tools from basic macros to today's cognitive automation robots. It emphasizes the importance of selecting the right RPA tool based on factors like scalability, security, pricing, vendor support, and ease of deployment.

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Shivdev Sai
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160 views

A Basic Introduction To Robotic Process Automation and Presently Available RPA Tools

This document provides a basic introduction to robotic process automation (RPA) and available RPA tools. It defines RPA as using software robots to automate business processes by interacting with other systems, making decisions based on multiple inputs, and having an interface for programming. The document outlines the core functionalities of RPA tools and the evolution of tools from basic macros to today's cognitive automation robots. It emphasizes the importance of selecting the right RPA tool based on factors like scalability, security, pricing, vendor support, and ease of deployment.

Uploaded by

Shivdev Sai
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A basic introduction to Robotic Process Automation and presently available RPA Tools

By Haritha Rajendran

What is Robotic Process Automation?


Robotic process automation (or RPA) is an emerging form of business process automation technology
based on the notion of metaphorical software robots or artificial intelligence (AI) workers. Since it is a
fairly new technology, there are few RPA tools available in the market right now. We’ll dive into a few
tools and the basics of robotic process automation in this article.

An Introduction To RPA
In simple words, robotic process automation is an intelligent way of working on tasks that can be easily
categorized by the use of artificial intelligence or AI. Here’s a quick break down of the jargon that we’ve
used to make things simpler! In the context of the above definition:

Robotic: refers to machines which mimic human actions.

Process: a process is a sequence of steps which lead to a meaningful task.

Automation: any process that is done automatically without the need for human intervention once the
process begins.

Clearly robotic process automation has many uses in the modern world. For example, manufacturing
would not be possible without the use of RPA. A lot of industries are increasingly adopting RPA into their
workflow and business practices, and hence there’s a requirement for RPA developers and RPA tools.
Which brings us to the next part of this article.

RPA Tools and their Core Functionalities


RPA tools help developers to create processes and workflows for robotic automation requirements. But
there are three core functionalities that are required in an RPA tool. These are:

● The robot should be able to interact with various other systems either through the process of
scraping or API integrations.
● The robot should be able to make well informed decisions and actions based on inputs from a
multitude of other systems.
● An interface must be available to program the robot.

RPA tools are therefore meant to be very versatile to handle various situations. Most developers argue
that there are 4 different types of RPA tools which were built as extensions of the previous generation of
robots. Here’s a quick look into these different types of RPA tools:
1. Before the emergence of RPA, companies automated simple processes by the use of hacks,
excel automation and macros. Obviously these were not scalable or reliable, however they did
help with productivity.
2. Then came the programmable solutions, that interacted with other systems but required specific
inputs.
3. Shortly afterwards, self-learning tools were developed. These tools would understand actions and
eventually the process before taking over the platform to perform those actions.
4. Finally we have the current generation of RPA tools which are cognitive automation robots that
not only deploy self-learning algorithms but are advanced enough to handle certain amount of
unstructured information and are still able to make complex decisions.

RPA tools are widely available these days, and it’s becoming hard to choose the right tool for the right
job. Many developers prefer platform independent tools and many tasks are remotely outsourced using
Citrix or Virtual machines. So it’s important to select the right technology for the right job. Scalability also
happens to be an important factor when choosing the right tool. Businesses grow and shrink and
operations could have a variety of demands in the same fiscal year. Having a RPA tool that allows you to
cope with these changes is always a blessing.

Security is also an important parameter because RPA tools are essentially pieces of software. So make
sure you’re buying an RPA tool from a vendor that is well-known for its service. Which brings us to
pricing! While setting up an RPA system, it’s important to account for the ongoing vendor license fees,
maintenance costs and other costs that might incur during production. A lot of RPA developers stress on
choosing the right vendor for this very reason. You don’t want to put your money on a novice vendor who
might stop supporting your product at an early date. Similarly maintenance and support are also tied to
vendor experience.

RPA tools are meant to make our life easier and user-friendly tools are always the way to go. Any RPA
tool that can be deployed easily and quickly is generally preferred while selecting a tool.

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