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Robotic process automation
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<p>Robotic process automation (RPA) is a form of <a href="/facts/Business_process_automation/0kqyph6Y">business process automation</a> that is based on <a href="/facts/Bot_(disambiguation)/LwKgvl5r">software robots</a> (bots) or <a href="/facts/Artificial_intelligence/lJGauQwX">artificial intelligence</a> (AI) <a href="/facts/Agent_(artificial_intelligence)/8C2Q93Vw">agents</a>. RPA should not be confused with artificial intelligence as it is based on <a href="/facts/Automation/3YlF2K5q">automation</a> technology following a predefined workflow. It is sometimes referred to as <i>software robotics</i> (not to be confused with <a href="/facts/Robot_software/QeEHnEtc">robot software</a>). </p><p>In traditional <a href="/facts/Workflow/Ig8zvxF2">workflow</a> <a href="/facts/Automation/3YlF2K5q">automation</a> tools, a <a href="/facts/Software_developer/WGTS1Jv9">software developer</a> produces a list of actions to automate a task and interface to the <a href="/facts/Frontend_and_backend/QVUfH8gu">back end</a> system using internal <a href="/facts/Application_programming_interfaces/GMlN4vUr">application programming interfaces</a> (APIs) or dedicated <a href="/facts/Scripting_language/8pF4ajBL">scripting language</a>. In contrast, RPA systems develop the action list by watching the user perform that task in the application's <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">graphical user interface</a> (GUI) and then perform the automation by repeating those tasks directly in the GUI. This can lower the barrier to the use of automation in products that might not otherwise feature APIs for this purpose. </p><p>RPA tools have strong technical similarities to <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface_testing/6GGdMIPb">graphical user interface testing</a> tools. These tools also automate interactions with the <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">GUI</a>, and often do so by <a href="/facts/Programming_by_demonstration/k4Kewbkx">repeating a set of demonstration actions</a> performed by a user. RPA tools differ from such systems in that they allow data to be handled in and between multiple applications, for instance, receiving <a href="/facts/Email/6pD9GLtI">email</a> containing an invoice, extracting the data, and then typing that into a <a href="/facts/Bookkeeping/zHglNNjd">bookkeeping</a> system. </p>