Robotic process automation (RPA) contains software robots (bots) that imitate human tasks. These bots complete rules-based tasks by recording the process workflow humans perform. They can log into systems, navigate the page and input and extract data, mimicking the interactions humans have with computer systems.

Traditional automation has followed instructive code, whereas bots are trained following illustrative steps. This allows bots to adapt to dynamic circumstances. Traditional automation cannot execute steps outside of its code. For instance, when processing data in an excel sheet, traditional automation would find an error in a blank field and need human intervention. RPA bots would identify the issue and find the relative data missing in the blank field. Bots interact with other applications regardless of the technology the application uses — once trained they continue to perform their action.

Small and large corporations are quickly incorporating RPA in business functions to improve their productivity. As a result, the RPA market is growing, with different vendors targeting different needs. Certain vendors incorporate machine learning and cognitive data, allowing bots to operate with structured and unstructured data, while other vendors focus on large-scale automation. Examples of vendors include Automation Anywhere, UiPath, Blue Prism and many more. The first uses machine learning and handles both structured and unstructured data — these bots aim for decision making and adaption to unstructured data rather than mass automation. Read On: