This article further drills down into the basic structure of Robotic Process Automation software and its component. An RPA tool usually consists of three different parts, which are presented in detail below:
- Development environment (Studio)
- Sequence environment (orchestrator / control center)
- "Software robots", with the help of which the processes are executed on a computer or server
Each component has its own properties and is used and operated by different users in a larger installation. Thus, appropriate rights& Accesses managed to preventively meet some IT security aspects. First of all the studio for the development of the "robot processes" is introduced.
Development environment (Studio)
The workflows and activities are assembled in a studio software using drag-and-drop functionality and configured accordingly. Alternatively – or complementary – (partial) processes can be executed directly by a user and recorded at the same time with a recorder – analogous to the macro recorder in VBA, as you may already know it from a product of the Microsoft Office palette. The developed processes can be executed and tested step by step by means of debugging at any time. A certain scalability in automating processes is also given: (partial) processes in other workflows can be reused as so-called "snippets". A developer can thus integrate the same work steps into another process.
Although the processes are basically developed and recorded by developers based on the business requirements, a developer does not execute them himself in the production environment. An explicit separation of the development, UAT and live environment is clearly recommended. In order to fully exploit the potential of the RPA tool and to meet security aspects, further software components are required.
Developers work out and record these steps based on the business requirements, a developer does not carry them out himself in the production environment. An explicit separation of the development, UAT and live environment is clearly recommended. In order to fully exploit the potential of the RPA tool and to meet security aspects, further software components are necessary.
Live environment (orchestrator / control center&) Robot)
In the live environment, there is a control center (orchestrator / management console) on the one hand. Completed processes are uploaded to this platform and approved there – with corresponding version history. In this control center users, rights as well as all processes and devices can be administered. In addition, processes can be started manually or schedules can be entered for automatic execution. Logs and general monitoring functions provide information about robot activities and help to improve processes as well as auditing.
The third component of an RPA software consists of the "software robots" themselves. These are by no means physical robots that can be found, for example, in a production hall. In very simplified terms, the software mimics the mouse and keyboard commands that a user performs while executing the process. An important distinction is that there are attended and unattended robots. An attended robot is executed on the user's device and is usually started by the user itself. The user is thus specifically supported, but the robot needs input and the decisions of the user. An unaccompanied robot, on the other hand, works in the background or even on a server. The processes are started automatically based on various events or due to the scheduling options in the control center. In unattended Robotic Process Automation, the activities are executed in the background, so the speed of execution is also higher, since the elements do not have to be additionally displayed on the user's screen. Depending on the process, it is necessary to evaluate which type of software robot is suitable. It is also conceivable that accompanied robots are implemented in a first phase, so that the users and the entire organization can get used to the new possibilities and the handling of the software robots. This approach can promote acceptance and thus have a positive effect on change management and communication within the company.
Final thoughts and comments
A large number of RPA software providers can be found on the market and the components are named differently depending on the product. In principle, however, the platforms are structured in the same way and have their relative strengths and weaknesses. Routinuum GmbH is a specialized integration partner of UiPath's RPA software. The three components are called UiPath Studio, UiPath Orchestrator and UiPath Robot. The above representation of the components allows a more detailed understanding of an RPA software. In the effective implementation of an RPA project, the architecture can be somewhat more detailed and depends on the requirements of the company.
Do you have any further questions about Robotic Process Automation? Please feel free to contact us without obligation to get more information on the topic or to discuss the possible applications in your company. We are always looking forward to an interesting exchange.