CCS361 - ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION UNIT-1 INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION 1, RoboticProcess Automation * RPA involves the use of software that mimics human actions while interacting with applications in a computer and accomplishing rule-based tasks. * This often requires reading from and typing, or clicking on existing applications that are used to perform the given tasks.2. Emergence of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) © The concept of automation is far from new. © The past 70 years that computers have been a major catalyst for this trend of automation. © Along the way, there have been different periods of automation, based on the types of technologies available. They would also provide a foundation for RPA platforms. Mainframe Era: These were huge machines developed by companies like IBM. They were expensive and mostly available to large companies (although, innovators like Ross Perot would create outsourcing services to provide affordable options). Yet they were incredibly useful in helping manage core functions for companies, such as payroll and customer accounts, © PCRevolution: Intel's development of the microprocessor and Microsoft's development of its operating system revolutionized the technology industry. As a result, just about any business could automate processes, say by using word processors and spreadsheets. © But the automation technologies - while powerful - still had their drawbacks. They could easily result in complex IT environments, which required expensive and time consuming integrations and custom coding. © From this emerged the key elements for RPA, which came about in the early 2000s. A big part of this was screen scraping, which is the automation of moving data among applications, which turned out to provide a nice boost to efficiency and effectiveness. © Butaround 2012 or so, the RPA market hit an inflection point There was a convergence of trends that made this happen, such as the following: Mr.C.Siva) Assistant Professor / Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data SciensCCS361 - ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION NN © Inthe aftermath of the financial crisis, companies were looking for ways to lower their costs. Simply put, traditional technologies like ERP were reaching maturation. So companies needed to look for new drivers. © Companiesalso realized they had to find ways to not be disrupted from technology companies. RPA was considered an easier and more cost-effective way to go digital. Some industries like banking were becoming more subject to regulation. In other words, there was.a compelling need to find ways to lessen the paperwork and improve audit, security,and control. © RPAtechnology was starting to get more sophisticated and easier to use, allowing for higher ROI (return on investment). © Large companies were startingto use RPA for mission-critical applications, Demographics were also key. Asthe millennial started to enter the workforce, they wanted more engaging work. They wanted careers, not jobs,3. Evolutionof RPA “The evolution of the RPA market is like any major technology trend,” said Mihir Shukla, who is the CEO and. cofounder of Automation Anywhere. “There was a gradual progress, which involved periodicbreakthroughs. Fast forward to today, RPA is the fastest growing part of the software industry. According to Gartner, the spending on this technology jumped by 63% to $850 million in 2018 and is forecasted to reach $1.3 billion by 2019. Or consider the findings from Transparency Market Research, The firm projects that the global market for RPA will soar to $5 billion by 2020. By 2020, RPA along with Al will reduce the business shared-service centers by 65% (Gartner). There also be adoption by 40% of large enterprises, compared to 10% in 2019. Based on current projections, there will likely be saturation in the RPA market by 2023 (Deloitte). ‘The financial impact from RPA could hit $6.7 trillion by 2025 (McKinsey & Company). Interms of the global market share for RPA software, North America represents 51% and Western Europe is at 23%, But Asia is starting to get traction, especially Japan. By 2023, the forecast is that there will be $12 billion in spending on RPA services (Forrester),It does not require any modification in the existing systems or infrastructure. It can automate the repetitive, rule-based tasks. It mimics human actions to complete the tasks. It requires certain customizations in the existing IT infrastructure. It does not include the ability to mimic human actions. It only executes the pre-defined programmatic instructions. A user can start using RPA without knowing any programming. RPA allows automation with easy to use Users are required to have the programming skills to use Traditional Automation for automating Mr.C.Siva| Assistant Professor / Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science(CS361 - ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION flowchart diagram. Therefore, users do nat require to remember language syntax and scripting ‘They only need to focus on the functionalities given under automation. RPA provides the easy and quick implementation, It requires less amountoftime as RPA software is process- driven. functionalities. Programming language MW depends upon the type of automation tool. Users need toremember language syntax and scripting. ‘Traditional Automation can take several months for implementation. Test designing and feasibility studies take a longer time. RPA allows users to assign work to hundreds or thousands of virtual machines that can perform the allotted tasks without the requirement of physical machines. RPA can be configured to meet the requirements of a particular user. It can be combined with several applications (eg. calendar, e-mail, ERP, CRM, etc.) to synchronize information and create automated replies. On the other hand, ‘Traditional Automation uses different programming techniques to achieve parallel execution or scalability. Physical machinesare required toperform parallel execution. Those physical machines should have the capability ofproviding good processing speed. When it comes to customization, ‘Traditional Automation is considered as a critical and complex technology compared to the RPA. The integration of different systems with Traditional Automation is a challenge due to the limitations of APIs. RPA can bea little costly in the initial phase. But it saves alotoftime, money, and effort in the long run, Traditional Automation is cheaper in the in However, it costs alot morein the longrun. fal phase. RPA is a more efficient option since it can make improvementsinstantly. ‘Traditional Automation requires more time, effort, and aconsiderable workforce. With RPA, users can easily update any business flow due twits simplicity. On the other hand, Traditional Automation may force users to change various scripts. Hence, maintenance and updating of this technology can be tough.5, Benefits of RPA ‘* Business process outsourcing (BPO): With RPA and its benefits of reduced costs, the BPO sector can now depend less on outsourced labor. * Insurance: The complexity and number of tasks that must be managed in the insurance sector, from ‘managing policies, to filing and processing claims across multiple platforms, provides an ideal environment for the use of RPA technology. ‘Financial sector: From day-to-day activities and handling an enormous amount of data, to performing complex workflows, RPA has been helping to transform this sector into an efficient and reliable one. Mr.CSiva| Assistant Professor / Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data ScienUulity companies: These companies (such as gas, electricity, and water) deal witha lt of monetary transactions and can leverage RPA to automate tasks such as meter reading, billing, and processing customer payments. Healthcare: Data entry, patient scheduling, and more importantly billing and claims processing, are important areas where RPA can be used Higher quality services, greater accuracy: With reduced human error and greater compliance, the quality of work is much better. This is because every step in the automation process is recorded, making it faster to pinpoint errors with ease. Improved analytics: Using analytics on the collected data such as transaction received time, transaction complete time, and predictions can be made for the incoming volume and ability to complete the tasks on ime. Reduced costs: This is based on the simple fact that one human full-time executives (FTE) works for eight hours a day, while a Robot can work for 24 hours without a break, Increased availability and productivity means the cost of operations is reduced tremendously. The speed of the work being performed coupled with multitasking results in further reductions in cost. Increased speed: Robots are very fast and sometimes the speed of execution has to bre reduced to match the speed and latency of the application on which these Robots work. Agility: Reducing and increasing the number of Robot resources requires managing the volume of the business process. This is just a click away. Versatility: RPA is applicable across industries performing a wide range of Tasks from small to lange businesses, simple to complex processes. Simplicity: RPA does not need prior programming knowledge. Most platforms provide designs in the form of flowcharts. Scalability: RPA is highly scalable, up as well as down, Whether one requires an increase ar reduction in the virtual workforce, Robots can be quickly deployed at zero or minimum costs while maintaining consistency in the quality of work. Time savings: Not only does the virtual workforce complete large volumes of work ina shorter span oftime with precision, but they help save time in another way too. Non- invasive: This helps in reducing risks and complexities that would arise in the case of traditional IT deployments. Better management: RPA allows for managing, deploying, and monitoring Robots through a centralized platform. This also lessens the need for governance. Better customer service: Since Robots can work around the clock, capacity increases, This leaves humans to focus on customer service and satisfaction. Also, better quality of services delivered to customers at faster speeds greatly boosts customer satisfaction. Increased employee satisfaction: With repetitive, dreary tasks now being taken over by the virtual workforce, employeesare not just relieved of their workload, but can also engage in better quality work that requires the use of human capabilities and strengths such as emotional intelligence, reasoning, or tending to customers,6. Application areas of RPA ‘+ Data Entry and Migration: RPA is often used for automating data entry tasks, such as copying and pasting data between systems. It's also applied in data migration projects to transfer data efficiently from one system to another. Mr.C.Siva| Assistant Professor / Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data Sciene:* Invoice Processing: RPA can streamline the entire invoice processing cycle, including data enema validation, and updating records in financial systems. * Customer Service and Support: RPA can assist in automating routine customer service tasks, such as handling queries, processing requests, and updating customer records. + HRand Employee Onboarding: RPA is used in human resources for automating tasks related to employee onboarding, off boarding, and data updates. This includes tasks like document verification, payroll processing, and benefits administration. RPA is applied nce departments for automating tasks like account reconciliation, financial reporting, and compliance checks. Bots can perform calculations, validate data, and generate financial reports, + Supply Chain and Logistics: RPA can optimize supply chain and logistics processes by automating order processing, inventory management, and shipment tracking. This helps improve efficiency and reduces errors inthe supply chain, + Healthcare Claims Processing: RPA is used in healthcare for automating claims processing tasks. Bots can validate patient information, process insurance claims,and update records in electronic health record (EHR) systems. + IT Support and Maintenance: RPA is applied in IT departments for automating routine IT support tasks, such as password resets, system monitoring, and software updates. This allows IT professionals to facus an more complex issues, + Compliance and Audit: RPA is utilized to ensure compliance with regulations and standards by automating audit trails, data validation, and reporting. Bots can perform regular checks to ensure adherence to compliance requirements, + Marketing and Sales: RPA can be applied in marketing and sales for automating tasks like lead generation, data cleansing, and report generation. Bots can extract data from various sources and update customer relationship management (CRM) systems. © Financial Processimy + Insurance Claims Processing: RPA is used inthe insurance industry for automating claims processing tasks, including data extraction from claim forms, validation of information, and updating claims databases. © Quality Assurance and Testing: RPA is applied in software development for automating testing processes. Bots can simulate user interactions and test software applications for functionality, performance, and regressiontesting. + Legal Document Processing: RPA is used in legal departments for automating document review, contract management, and compliance checks. Bots can assist in extracting and organizing information from legal documents. * Government Processes: RPA is applied in various government agencies for automating administrative tasks, permit processing, and data entry. This helps improve the efficiency of government services, + Education Administration: RPA can automate administrative tasks in educational institutions, such as student enrollment, grade processing, and updating student records.7. Components ofRPA a) b) °) a) 8) Recorder Development Studio Plugin/Extension Bot Runner Control Center Mr.C.Siva) Assistant Professor / Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data Scienca) ») Development Studio control Center Recorder * The recorders the part of the develapment studio that developers use to configure the Robots. © Itis like the macro recorder in Excel, the bot recoreler in any platform, records steps. * Itrecords mouse and keyboarel movements on the Ul and this recording can be replayed to do the same steps again and again. This enables rapid automation. This component has played very big role in the popularity of RPA, Development studio * The development studio is used by developers to create Robot configuration or train the Robots. Using the development studio, a set of instructions and decision-making logic is coded for Robots to execute, * Some platforms provide flow-charting capabilities such as Visio, so it becomes very easy to plot steps ina process, whereas some other platforms require coding, + Inmost studios, in order todo commercial development, developers need to havea fair amount of knowledge of programming, for example, loops, ifelse, variable assignment, and so on. Extensions and plugins * Most platforms offer many plugins and extensions to ease the development and running of bots. + In many applications, such as Java SAP, it is not easy to individually identify controls of the UI through traditional techniques. * RPA vendors have developed plugins and extensions to help with these issues. Bot runner * Thisisalso referred to as the Robot, other components make it run. Control center * The objective of the control room is to provide Robot management capabilities, + Itmonitors and controls Robot's operation in a network. * Itcanbe used to start/stop Robots, make schedules for them, maintain and publish code, redeploy Robots to different tasks, and manage licenses and credentials.8. BPAPlatforms a) Automation Anywhere») ‘+ Automation Anywhere helps to automate business processes for companies. They focus on RPA, cognitive data (machine learning and natural language processing), and business analytics. Their bots are capable of handling both structured as well as unstructured data. ‘+ Thesystem has three basic components: © Adevelopment client for the creation ofa bot © Aruntime environment for the deployment of a bot ©. Acentralized command system for handling multiple bots, analyzing their performance + HQ: San Jose, California, USA + Est: 2003 * CEO: Mihir Shukla ‘+ Some key clients: Deloitte, Accenture, AT&T, GM, P Morgan Chase + Source of revenue by region: Its highest source of revenue is the USA, which accounts for more than half its revenue, followed by APAC, then UK and continental Europe + Source of revenue by industry: The Banking, Financial services, and Insurance (BFSI) accounts for more than half of its revenue, followed by healthcare, telecom, media, and others uiPath ¢ UiPath is an RPA technology vendor who designs and delivers software that helps automate businesses. The RPA platform consists of three parts: © UiPath Studio to design the processes © UiPath Robot to automate tasks designed in UiPath Studio © UiPath Orchestratorto run and manage the processes ‘+ HQ: Bucharest, Romania ‘+ CEO: Daniel Dines ‘+ Key Clients: Atos, AXA, BBC, Capgemini, CenturyLink, Cognizant, Middlesea, OpusCapita, and SAP + Source of revenue by region: North America, Continental Europe, the UK, and APAC + Source of revenue by industry: BFSI, healthcare, telecom and media, and retailoO qd) Blue Prism * Blue Prism aims to provide automation that enterprises can use according to their needs. * Blue Prism aims to do this by providing automation that is scalable, configurable, and centrally managed. * Itsellsits so ftware through its partners, some of which are Accenture, Capgemini, Deloitte, Digital Workforce Nordic, HPE, HCL, IBM, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Thoughtonomy, and Wipro * HQ: United Kingdom + Est: 2001 © CEO: Alastair Bathgate * Key Clients: BNY Mellon, RWE npower, and Telefonica 02 * Source of revenue by region: More than half of its revenue source comes from the UK, followed by North America, Continental Europe, and APAC * Source of revenue by industry: BFSI, health, and pharmaceuticals, retail and consumer, telecom and media, manufacturing, public sector, travel, and transportation. WorkFusion * WorkFusion offers automation that is based on RPA and machine learning. * Itdelivers software as a solution for automating high volume data. + WorkFusion enables man and machine to work in tandem while managing, optimizing, or automating tasks. © HQ: New York, USA © Est: 2011 Mr.CSiva| Assistant Professor / Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data Sciene:e) © CEO: Max Yangkelivich, Andrew Volkov ‘N * Key Clients: Thomson Reuters, Infogroup, Citi, and Standard Bank * Source of revenue by region: North America provides more than 80% of WorkFusion’s revenue, followed by Europe, APAC, and MEA © Source of revenue by industry: Around 90% of its revenue comes from the BFSI sector, followed by the retail and consumer sectors ‘Thoughtonomy += Thoughtonomy delivers software that helps automate business and IT processes. * Ituses Blue Prism and other automation software and customizes it + HQ:London, UK * Est:2013 © CEO: Terry Walby * Key Clients: Atos, Fujitsu, CGI, Unite BT, and Business Systems * Sources of Revenue by region: Around 70% of revenue comes solely from the UK. The rest comes from Continental Europe, North America, APAC, and the Middle Bast and Africa (MEA) * Sources of Revenue by industry: A major part of its revenue comes from third party clients, followed by BFSI, public sector, telecom, healthcare, retail, and consumer sectors KOFAX ‘© Kofax's Kapow RPA platform is capable of automating and delivering processes that are repetitive and rule- based. * Ituses Robots for extracting and consolidating information. © The software platform consists of a management console to deploy and manage bots, Robot performance, and a monitoring system, © This software can also group together high priority tasks that should be completed first by the Robot during times of high workload. Kofax's software, however, doesn'thave machine learning © HQ: Irvine, California © CEO: Paul Rooke * Key Clients: Arrow Electronics, Delta Dental of Colorado, Pitt Ohio, Audi * Sources of revenue by region: North America accounts for almost half of its revenue, followed by Continental Europe, APAC, and LATAM (Latin America) + Sources of revenue by industry: BFSI, retail, consumer, travel, transportation, public sector, ‘manufacturing, and healthcare9. Robotic Process Automation Tools a) Templates © Atemplate is a preconfigured project that helps speed up automation design when used a for new automation projects. ‘arting point You can use one of the built-in templates or use custom templates from other sources, such as the organization-wide template feed. * Inaddition, you can create and publish your own custom templates, ‘© The following built-in project templates are available on the Start tab in Studio Backstage View: © Background Process Mobile Testing Project Orchestration Process Mra va) Assistant Professor / Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data Sctenc© Robotic Enterprise Framework “‘ © Trigger Based Attended Automation © Transactional Process Custom Templates * User-defined processes, or testautomation projects can be saved as templates to be used in otherautomation projects. Such templates may contain a particular set of dependencies and built-in workllows with already defined variables and arguments that can later be used in various projects, * Studio offers two ways to create your own custom templates, either by using the Template project type in the Home tab or by exporting a process, or test automation project as a template. © Creatinga Template 1. Inthe Studio Backstage view, under New Project, click Template. 2. Inthe new template window, configure the following: = Choose between a Processand a Test Automation type of template. ‘* Entera name for the new project (up to 128 characters) and a description that summaries what you are aiming to do with this automation project (up to 500 characters). ‘© Select the location where to create the project. The default location where projects are created is %USERPROFILE%\Documents\UiPath, ‘© Select the compatibility and language 3. Click Create and your template opens in Studio. 4. A pop-up is displayed with information about customizable fields. Click Continue and optionally, select Don't show again.b) User Interface New Template Create a template thet you can use to build automations that have a set of predefined common characteristic. Project Type Name* Location * Deseription Compatibiity © Language © Process) Test Automation BlankTemplate ‘CAUsers\useADocuments\UiPath Blank Template9. 10, 1. 12. The Ribbon. Quick Access Toolbar Designer panel Properties panel Outline panel Arguments panel Variable panel Import panel Activity panel Library panel Project panel Output panel The Ribbon This panel located at the top of the user interface and consists of four tabs: START: This is used to start new projects or to open projects previously made. DESIGN: This is to create new sequences, Flowcharts, or state machines, or to manage variables. EXECUTE: This is used to run projects or to stop them, and also to debug projects. SETUP: This panel is for deployment and configuration options; ithas three tools available: © Publish: This chedule tasks s used to publish a project or createa shortcut for it and Mr.CSiva| Assistant Professor / Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data ScienceOutput panel This panel displays the output of the log message or write line activities. It also displays the output during the debugging process. This panel also shows errors, warnings, information, and traces of the executed project. Itis very helpful during debugging, The desired level of detail can be changed in Execute | Options | Logactivities. ©) Domains in Activities Finance and Accounting: RPA is used for automating financial processes such as invoice processing, accounts payable and receivable, reconciliation, financial reporting, and compliance checks. Human Resources (HR): In HR, RPA can automate tasks related to employee onboarding and off board payroll processing, resume screening, leave requests, and benefits administration. Supply Chain and Logistics: RPA is applied to automate tasks in supply chain management, including order processing, inventory management, shipment tracking, and demand forecasting. 1Customer Service and Support: RPA is used to automate routine customer service tasks, such as responding to customer queries, processing orders, updating customer information, and handling support tickets. Healthcare: In the healthcare domain, RPA is applied to automate processes related to claims processing, appointment scheduling, patient record management, and compliance reporting, Insurance: RPA is utilized for automating insurance-related processes such as claims processing, policy administration, underwriting, and fraud detection, Telecommunications: RPA is applied in the telecommunications sector for automating processes like billing, customer service requests, order fulfillment, and network monitoring, Energy and Utilities: RPA is utilized in energy and utility companies for automating tasks related to billing, meter reading, customer service, and regulatory compliance reporting Education: RPA can be applied in the education sector for automating tasks like student enrollment, grading, attendance tracking, and course scheduling.4) Workflow Files. In UiPath, a workflow file is a file with a "xaml” extension that contains the instructions and logic for an automation process, Itis written in Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) and servesas the blueprint for defining and executing the sequence of actions that a software robot (UiPath Robot) should perform. Here are key aspects of a workflow file in UiPath: File Extension: Workflow files in UiPath have a "xaml” extension. The file name often reflects the purpose of the workflow ora specificactivity within the automation project. Graphical Representation: The content of a UiPath workflow file is represented graphically within UiPath Studio. The file contains a visual representation of the automation process, including a canvas where activities are arranged and connected. Activities: Activities are the fundamental building blocks of a UiPath workflow. Each activity represents a specific action or task that the robot should perform, such as clicking a button, typing into a text box, or reading data from afile. Variables and Arguments: Workflow files can include the definition and usage of variables and arguments. Variables store data that can be manipulated during the execution of the workflow, while arguments allow data to be passed between different workflows or invoked processes. Sequences and Flowcharts: UiPath workflows can be organized into sequences and flowcharts. Sequences representa linear set of activities executed in order, while flowcharts allow for more complex branching and decision-making based on conditions Imports and Dependencies: Workflow files may inclide imports and dependencies that specify the libraries or packages required for the execution of the automation process. These dependencies can include UiPath activities, custom libraries, or third-party components. Annotations and Comments: Developers can add annotations and comments within the workflow to provide additional information about specific activities or sections. This helps document the logic and purpose of the automation, Arguments Panel: UiPath Studio provides an "Arguments" panel where users can define input and output arguments for the workflow. Arguments enable communication between different workflows or components.Activities Panel: The "Activities" panel in UiPath Studio contains a wide range of pre-built activities that users can drag and drop onto the canvas to build their automation processes. Activities cover a variety of tasks, from Ul interactions to data manipulation. Project Structure: A UiPath project typically consists of multiple workflow files organized in a project structure. The main workflow, often named "Main.xami," servesas the entry point for the automation, State Machines (Optional): UiPath allows the use of state machines for more advanced workflow control. State machines are used when the automation needs to transition between different states based on conditions.