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Robotic Process Automation Glossary

25 essential terms — because precise language is the foundation of clear thinking in Robotic Process Automation.

Showing 25 of 25 terms

Connecting systems at the data or service layer through application programming interfaces for robust, high-performance data exchange.

Related:System IntegrationWeb ServicesMiddleware

An RPA deployment model where bots work alongside human users on their desktops, triggered interactively.

Related:Unattended AutomationDesktop AutomationCitizen Developer

The end-to-end process of planning, developing, testing, deploying, monitoring, and maintaining RPA bots.

Related:SDLCVersion ControlChange Management

The uncontrolled proliferation of RPA bots without proper governance, leading to maintenance burdens and security risks.

Related:GovernanceCenter of ExcellenceBot Lifecycle Management

A dedicated organizational unit responsible for RPA governance, standards, best practices, and managing the automation pipeline.

Related:GovernanceBot Lifecycle ManagementCitizen Developer

A business user without formal programming training who builds automations using low-code/no-code RPA tools.

Related:Low-Code DevelopmentCenter of ExcellenceDemocratization

The integration of AI capabilities with RPA to enable bots to handle tasks requiring judgment, pattern recognition, or unstructured data interpretation.

Related:HyperautomationMachine LearningNatural Language Processing

A term describing an RPA bot treated as a virtual employee with its own credentials, assigned work, and performance metrics.

Related:Software BotVirtual MachineDigital Workforce

Mechanisms in RPA workflows that detect, manage, and resolve errors or unexpected situations during bot execution.

Related:Error LoggingHuman-in-the-LoopRetry Logic

Full-Time Equivalent savings, a metric quantifying how many equivalent full-time employee hours are saved through RPA automation.

Related:ROIProductivityCost Reduction

The framework of policies, procedures, and controls that guide how RPA is implemented, managed, and scaled across an organization.

Related:Center of ExcellenceComplianceSecurity

A business-driven approach combining RPA with AI, ML, process mining, and other technologies to automate end-to-end processes.

Related:Intelligent AutomationDigital TransformationCognitive Automation

The use of AI technologies like OCR, NLP, and ML to extract and classify data from unstructured or semi-structured documents.

Related:OCRNatural Language ProcessingMachine Learning

A visual development approach allowing users to build applications and automations with minimal hand-coding using drag-and-drop interfaces.

Related:No-Code DevelopmentCitizen DeveloperVisual Designer

A branch of AI that enables computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language, used in RPA for processing unstructured text.

Related:Cognitive AutomationIntelligent Document ProcessingMachine Learning

Optical Character Recognition, a technology that converts images of text into machine-readable text data.

Related:Intelligent Document ProcessingScreen ScrapingComputer Vision

A centralized management platform for scheduling, monitoring, and controlling RPA bot execution across an organization.

Related:Bot Lifecycle ManagementQueue ManagementDashboard

An analytical technique using event logs from enterprise systems to discover and visualize actual business processes.

Related:Task MiningProcess DiscoveryEvent Log

The process of organizing and distributing work items to available RPA bots through an orchestrator's transaction queues.

Related:OrchestratorWorkload DistributionTransaction Processing

Technology that uses software bots to automate repetitive, rule-based digital tasks by mimicking human interactions with computer systems.

Related:Software BotHyperautomationIntelligent Automation

Return on Investment, a metric measuring the financial benefit of an RPA implementation relative to its cost.

Related:Business CaseCost-Benefit AnalysisFTE Savings

A technique used by RPA bots to read and extract data from application screens, including legacy systems lacking modern APIs.

Related:OCRUI AutomationData Extraction

A configured software agent that executes automated steps replicating human interactions with digital applications.

Related:Digital WorkerAttended AutomationUnattended Automation

A technique that records and analyzes user desktop interactions to identify repetitive tasks suitable for automation.

Related:Process MiningScreen RecordingProcess Discovery

An RPA deployment model where bots run independently on servers without human interaction, often scheduled or event-triggered.

Related:Attended AutomationOrchestratorBatch Processing
Robotic Process Automation Glossary - Key Terms & Definitions | PiqCue