Robotic Process Automation Tutorial for Beginners

Robotic Process Automation Tutorial for Beginners

Efficiency and automation are no longer a luxury but a necessity in today’s fast-paced digital age. Organizations are always on the lookout to simplify operations, save costs, and free human potential for more strategic endeavors. In this sense, a powerful tool that makes it possible to automate rule-based repetitive procedures is robotic process automation, or RPA.

If you are just starting out in the automation space, this in-depth RPA tutorial is meant to be your one-stop guide. Ready to learn more and revolutionize your career? Download our complete RPA Course Syllabus now and find out what you can really learn!

RPA Basics for Beginners

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the practice of using software robots (or “bots”) to automatically perform repetitive, rule-based, and high-volume tasks that are usually done manually. The RPA bots replicate human movements like:

• Clicking buttons
• Typing in fields
• Copying and pasting data
• Launching applications (e.g., Excel, web browsers, corporate systems like SAP or Salesforce)
• Reading information from documents
• Logging into systems

The “robot” in RPA is not an appliance; it’s a computer program that sits on a server or a desktop. These software robots follow set rules and workflows and are coded to perform tasks exactly as directed.

How RPA Works: The Core Mechanism

At its core, RPA simply watches and captures human interactions with computer systems. Once a process is captured and defined, the RPA software generates a “bot” script. The script consists of steps and rules that the bot will use to replicate the task by itself.

Below is a simplified explanation of how it works:

Process Identification: An RPA-appropriate business process is discovered. This process needs to be:

• Repetitive: Done repeatedly.
• Rule-based: Based on well-defined, logical steps with minimal or no human judgment.
• High-volume: Has a large number of data points or transactions.
• Digital: Involves interaction with software applications.

Bot Development/Configuration: Developers or citizen developers use an RPA platform (such as UiPath, Automation Anywhere, or Blue Prism) to configure the bot. This typically includes:

• Recording: The RPA tool may have a recording capability capturing mouse clicks, keyboard entries, and application interactions.
• Drag-and-Drop Workflow: Dragging and dropping pre-configured actions (such as “Open Browser,” “Type Into,” and “Click Button”) to create a visual workflow.
• Coding: For more sophisticated situations, some tools permit proprietary custom code (e.g., C#, Python, VB.NET) to extend bot functionality.

Execution: After being developed, the bot is deployable and runnable. Bots may run:

• Attended: In conjunction with a human, initiated by the user to help with work.
• Unattended: Operating automatically on a server or virtual machine, often scheduled to execute work in the background without any intervention.

Monitoring and Reporting: RPA platforms usually have dashboards and logs that monitor bot execution, monitor completed tasks, and detect any exceptions or errors.

Recommended: RPA Course Online.

Key Characteristics of RPA

Some of the major features of RPA:

• Non-Invasive: RPA bots communicate with available applications using their user interfaces, the same way a human would. This implies no modifications to the underlying IT infrastructure, so implementation is quicker and less disruptive.
• Rule-Based: Bots adhere rigidly to established rules. They are great at performing tasks that have well-defined, deterministic steps. They can’t “think” or make decisions beyond their programmed logic.
• Scalable: Once you have created a bot, it is simple to duplicate and scale for handling greater workloads. You can have several bots working in parallel.
• Auditable: RPA tools offer detailed records of bot activities so it is simple to see what the bot did, when it was done, and with what data. This is essential for compliance and troubleshooting.
• Cost-Effective: Automating routine tasks helps businesses minimize operational expenditure related to manual errors and labor.

RPA vs. Other Automation Technologies

We must distinguish RPA from other automation technologies to identify its distinct niche:

• RPA vs. Macros: Macros (e.g., Excel VBA macros) are generally application-specific and restricted to automating processes within a single application. RPA can interact across multiple different applications and simulate cross-application human workflows.
• RPA vs. Legacy IT Automation/Scripting: Legacy automation is generally backend integrations, APIs, and deep coding to link systems. RPA is front-end, UI-level automation and thus quicker to implement on processes which do not have APIs or are too complex to integrate with traditional means.
• RPA vs. Artificial Intelligence (AI): RPA is doing (automating repetitive tasks), whereas AI is thinking (learning, reasoning, decision-making). RPA deals with structured, rule-based data. AI deals with unstructured data and necessitates judgment. But RPA and AI are coming together more and more in “Intelligent Automation” (IA), where AI strengths augment RPA bots to deal with more advanced, cognitive tasks.

Suggested: Artificial Intelligence Tutorial for Beginners.

Benefits and Common Use Cases of RPA

The implementation of RPA is rising meteorically in all industries because of its practical advantages. Let’s discuss why companies are adopting this technology and where it’s best utilized.

Principal Advantages of Adopting RPA

Improved Efficiency and Productivity:

• Bots operate 24/7 without holidays, breaks, or exhaustion.
• They perform tasks much quicker than human beings.
• This results in greater throughput and shorter processing time.

Cost Cutting:

• Reduced operational costs through less error and rework.
• Rapid processing can save fines or enhance early payment discounts.

Better Accuracy and Quality:

• Robots act on rules consistently, avoiding human error on repetitive functions.
• Uniform execution results in better data quality and less discrepancy.

Increased Compliance and Auditability:

• RPA robots process based on pre-defined rules, compliance and company policies.
• All the activities of a bot are tracked, offering a complete audit trail for compliance.

Improved Employee Morale and Engagement:

• By delegating routine, repetitive, and mundane work to bots, human workers are relieved to concentrate on more strategic, innovative, and higher-value work.
• This can result in higher job satisfaction and an engaged workforce.

Scalability and Flexibility:

• Bots may be scaled up or down to accommodate changing demands.
• New procedures can be automated in a short time frame.

Non-Invasive Integration:

• RPA integrates with existing IT systems and applications. It doesn’t involve complex system revamps or API creation, so deployment is quicker and lower risk.

Typical Application of RPA in Various Industries

RPA is highly adaptable and can be used for many business functions. Some of the popular use cases include:

Finance & Accounting:

• Invoice Processing
• Account Reconciliation
• Financial Reporting
• Order-to-Cash (O2C)

Human Resources (HR):

• Employee Onboarding/Offboarding
• Payroll Processing
• HR Data Management

Customer Service:

• Customer Onboarding
• Query Resolution
• Handling Complaints

Information Technology (IT):

• Password Resets
• System Monitoring & Alerts
• User Provisioning
• Data Migration

Healthcare:

• Patient Registration
• Claims Processing
• Appointment Scheduling

Supply Chain & Logistics:

• Order Processing
• Inventory Management
• Logistics Tracking

These examples illustrate that RPA is not limited to any single industry or department; its power lies in its ability to automate any highly repetitive, rule-based digital task.

Explore: RPA Professional Salary in India.

The RPA Lifecycle: Idea to Automation

RPA implementation is not merely coding a bot; it’s a formal process with multiple stages to guarantee successful and long-term automation. It’s commonly called the RPA Lifecycle.

Discovery & Analysis (Process Identification)

This is the building block stage where you determine what processes are suitable for automation.

• Goal: Identify high-impact, automatable processes.
• Actions:
  • Process Assessment: Review current business processes for their steps, inputs, outputs, exceptions, and dependencies.
  • Feasibility Study: Identify whether a process can be automated with RPA on the basis of parameters such as:
    • Repetitiveness: How frequently is the task repeated? (Every day, every hour, etc.)
    • Rule-Based: Are the steps well-defined with little use of human judgment?
    • Standardization: Is the process the same in all cases?
    • Volume: How many transactions are done?
    • Error Rate: How susceptible is the manual process to errors?
    • System Interaction: What applications are concerned?
  • ROI Calculation: Approximate the possible return on investment (cost savings, efficiency improvement) to prioritize processes.
• Output: Prioritized list of processes identified for automation, plus detailed process documentation (e.g., Process Design Document – PDD).

Design (Solution Design)

Once a process is chosen, the next activity is to design how the bot would automate it.

• Objective: To produce a detailed blueprint of the RPA solution.
• Activities:
  • Solution Design Document (SDD): This document outlines the technical design of the bot, including:
    • Workflow Diagram: The visual sequence of steps and decision points of the bot.
    • Application Mapping: All the applications that the bot would be interacting with.
    • Data Flow: How data would flow in to the bot, be processed, and go out from it.
    • Exception Handling: How the bot will handle errors or unexpected scenarios.
    • Logging and Reporting: What information the bot will log.
  • Security Considerations: Secure credentials management and access controls design for the bot.
• Output: An end-to-end Solution Design Document (SDD) that will drive the development phase.

Development (Bot Building)

Here, the software robot is actually developed using an RPA platform.

• Objective: To program and configure the software robot.
• Activities:
  • Bot Configuration: Utilizing the interface of the selected RPA tool (typically drag-and-drop), set up activities and logic as defined within the SDD.
  • Coding: Custom code may be coded inside the RPA platform (e.g., C#, Python, VB.NET code snippets).
  • Credential Management: Storing and retrieving login credentials used by applications the bot communicates with.
  • Exception Handling Implementation: Developing logic to handle errors, retries, and notifications elegantly.
• Output: A completed RPA bot, test-ready.

Testing

Extensive testing is important to make sure the bot behaves as desired and covers all situations.

• Objective: To prove the bot’s functionality, accuracy, and stability.
• Activities:
  • Unit Testing: Testing separate components or activities of the bot.
  • System Integration Testing (SIT): Verifying that the bot integrates with every system.
  • User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Business users confirm that the bot works according to their needs and gets the process right.
  • Regression Testing: Confirming that new changes or fixes have not created new problems.
  • Performance Testing: Measuring the speed and scalability of the bot under different loads.
  • Exception Testing: Introducing errors intentionally and observing how the bot responds to them.
• Output: A validated and tested RPA bot, along with a test report.

Deployment & Monitoring

The bot is deployed into a production environment after testing and its performance is monitored regularly.

• Objective: To deploy the bot into live operation and maintain its performance.
• Activities:
  • Deployment: Deploying the bot onto production servers or virtual machines.
  • Scheduling: Creating schedules for autonomous bots to execute at predetermined times.
  • Access Control: User role and permissions setup for bot management.
  • Performance Monitoring: Monitoring bot execution, success ratios, and error rates on RPA platform dashboards and logs.
  • Alerting: Setup for alerts against severe errors or performance strays.
• Output: An active RPA bot, in-process, continuously showing performance metrics.

Maintenance & Optimization

Maintenance and optimization must be kept on a continuous basis.

• Goal: To keep the bot efficient and effective in the long run.
• Activities:
  • Bug Fixing: Resolving any faults or bugs that occur during production.
  • Process Changes: Refurbishing the bot to support changes within the underlying business process or applications (e.g., UI updates, new fields).
  • Performance Optimization: Locating bottlenecks and optimizing bot efficiency.
  • Scalability Adjustments: Increasing bot licenses or resources as workloads rise.
  • Continuous Improvement: Seeking points of opportunity to improve the automated process or find new automation prospects.
• Output: An ever-improved and serviceable RPA solution, providing ongoing value.

Related: Automation Anywhere Tutorial for Beginners.

Key RPA Tools and Platforms

The RPA market is controlled by a handful of heavy hitters, and each has a powerful platform with its own strengths. Familiarity with these tools is essential for anyone planning to dive into RPA. Although we won’t go through actual coding for each, we’ll cover their broad strokes.

The “Big Three” RPA providers are:

UiPath

UiPath is generally considered the leader among RPA vendors, renowned for its ease of use and prolific community base. It supports a wide range of users, from large businesses to solo citizen developers.

Key Features:

• UiPath Studio: A visual development tool with a drag-and-drop interface for developing automation workflows.
• UiPath Orchestrator: The main web tool for scheduling, managing, monitoring, and deploying the bots.
• UiPath Robots: The runtime agents that carry out the automation workflows.
• AI Fabric: It integrates AI and Machine Learning skills natively into RPA workflows.
• Task Mining & Process Mining: Solutions to assist in discovering and examining processes amenable to automation.
• Marketplace: Large repository of pre-built activities and building blocks.

Target Audience: Large and small enterprises, citizen developers, and professional automation developers.

Strengths: Ease of use, robust community, rich set of features, good scalability.

Learn more with our UiPath course online.

Automation Anywhere

Automation Anywhere provides an end-to-end, cloud-native RPA platform intended for enterprise-class automation. It focuses on low-code/no-code.

Key Features:

• Automation 360 (previously Enterprise A2019): Web-based, cloud-native platform to create and manage bots.
• Bot Creator: Development environment for creating automation workflows.
• Control Room: Central command center to deploy, schedule, and monitor bots.
• IQ Bot: AI-driven tool for intelligent document processing (IDP), to extract information from unstructured and semi-structured documents.
• Bot Insight: It provides data and insights on the effectiveness of bots and their impact on company.
• Discovery Bot: Assists in identifying and documenting automation opportunities.

Target Audience: Large corporations, emphasizing scalability and security.

Strengths: Cloud-native framework, solid AI/ML integration (IQ Bot), strong security capabilities.

Learn more with our automation anywhere course online.

Blue Prism

Blue Prism is renowned for its highly secure, scalable, and strong enterprise-level RPA platform, commonly opted by big organizations with stringent governance needs. It emphasizes a “digital workforce” strategy.

Key Features:

• Process Studio: Visual designer for the development of automation processes.
• Object Studio: For the development of reusable “business objects” that send instructions to applications, supporting modularity.
• Control Room: To control and schedule digital workers (bots).
• Analytics: It offers insights on the performance of bots.
• Native Integrations: Deep integration strengths with enterprise applications.
• Security: Focuses on high security and compliance.

Target Audience: Large organizations, especially those from highly regulated sectors (e.g., finance, healthcare).

Strengths: High security, sound governance, reusability of elements, solid architecture.

Explore more with our Blue Prism course online.

Other Significant RPA Tools

Although the “Big Three” lead, other tools also have meaningful roles to play, particularly for certain niches or small companies:

• Microsoft Power Automate: A component of the Microsoft Power Platform, with RPA capabilities (UI flows) in addition to other low-code solutions such as Power Apps and Power BI. It is most appealing for businesses already committed to the Microsoft ecosystem.
• Nice RPA: Targets attended automation and desktop automation, frequently utilized in contact centers to augment human agents.
• WorkFusion: Converges RPA with AI and machine learning for smart automation, especially robust in financial services and document processing.

The selection of the appropriate RPA tool is based on multiple considerations, such as the size of your organization, budget, current IT infrastructure, security needs, and process complexity you want to automate. The majority of vendors provide free trials or community editions, which are great methods to gain hands-on experience.

A Simple RPA Example

As a way of showing how an RPA bot could function, let’s imagine a simple, everyday scenario: automating the procedure for copying data from an Excel spreadsheet and inputting it into a web form.

Suppose you have a list of customer information in an Excel spreadsheet, and you want to enter every customer’s data into an online sign-up form. Entering it manually for hundreds or thousands of customers would be tiresome and prone to errors. An RPA bot can do this effortlessly.

Scenario: Web Form Data Entry Automation

Process Steps (Manual):

1. Open the Excel spreadsheet with customer data.
2. Open a web browser and go to the URL of the registration form.
3. For every row of the Excel file:
   • Read the first name of the customer, the last name of the customer, and the email from the current row.
   • Input the first name into the “First Name” field of the web form.
   • Input the last name into the “Last Name” field.
   • Input the email into the “Email” field.
   • Press the “Submit” button.
   • Wait for “Submission Successful” message or go back to the form for the next entry.
4. Close web browser and Excel file.

Suggested: Blue Prism Course in Chennai.

The Future of RPA: Intelligent Automation and Beyond

RPA is developing very fast, going beyond basic rule-based automation to integrate sophisticated cognitive abilities. This union of RPA with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) is leading to Intelligent Automation (IA) or Cognitive RPA.

Intelligent Automation (IA)

Intelligent Automation combines the structured automation capabilities of RPA with the “thinking” capabilities of AI. This allows bots to handle more complex, unstructured data and processes that traditionally required human judgment.

Key AI technologies integrating with RPA include:

Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP enables bots to understand, interpret, and generate human language.

• Use Cases: Customer email processing, data extraction from contracts, customer feedback sentiment analysis, natural language question answering in chatbots automation.

Machine Learning (ML): ML enables bots to be trained on data, detect patterns, and predict or decide.

• Use Cases: Fraud detection, predictive maintenance, dynamic customer inquiry routing, supply chain process optimization, candidate selection in HR.

Computer Vision / Optical Character Recognition (OCR): It allows the “vision” and comprehension of visual data from documents and displays, such as unstructured data.

• Use Cases: Data extraction from scanned invoices, handwritten receipts, images, and PDFs; document processing with changing layouts.

Generative AI: It enables text, code, or other content generation based on input.

• Use Cases: Auto-generating summary reports, writing the first draft of email replies, generating test data for bot development, helping developers write bot scripts or custom code.

Hyperautomation

According to Gartner, hyperautomation is a methodical, business-driven strategy that firms employ to swiftly identify, assess, and automate as many IT and business activities as possible. It is more than merely RPA and includes the orchestrated use of several advanced technologies, including:

• RPA (Robotic Process Automation)
• AI (Artificial Intelligence)
• ML (Machine Learning)
• Process Mining (to identify and analyze processes to automate)
• Task Mining (to record user interactions and find automation potential)
• Intelligent Document Processing (IDP)
• Business Process Management (BPM)
• Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

The aim of hyperautomation is end-to-end automation within an enterprise, establishing a “digital twin of the organization” where processes are continuously optimized and automated.

The Evolving Role of the RPA Professional

As RPA becomes increasingly integrated with AI, the profession of an RPA professional is changing as well. Future RPA professionals will require:

• Good process analysis skills: To find complex automation opportunities.
• AI/ML concepts knowledge: To properly incorporate cognitive features into bots.
• Data literacy skills: To manipulate and condition data for AI models.
• Problem-solving skills: To manage more sophisticated exceptions and optimize smart automations.
• Collaboration skills: To work closely with data scientists, AI engineers, and business stakeholders.

The future of RPA is bright with even higher levels of efficiency, accuracy, and business value as it grows more intelligent and pervasive. For new entrants, this implies an increasing need for professionals who not only know how to develop bots but also know how to harness AI in order to develop intelligent automation solutions.

Explore: All Software Training Courses.

Conclusion

This tutorial has presented you with a full understanding of RPA, covering its key concepts, how it works, its multiple benefits, popular use cases, the usual lifecycle of an RPA project, and the major solutions in the market. We’ve also discussed the fascinating future of intelligent automation, where RPA and AI combine to create even more opportunities.

Are you prepared to develop your own digital workforce and become an RPA expert? Start your adventure now by looking through our best Robotic Process Automation Training in Chennai! You are about to enter the world of automation.