Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Clarified

RPA is really a subset of proper End-to-End Test Automation

Zhimin Zhan

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Image Credit: https://www.pngitem.com/middle/ihJTbwo_tv-shows-clipart-watchung-robot-clipart-hd-png/

This article is one of the “IT Terminology Clarified” series.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA), according to Wikipedia, is “a form of business process automation technology based on metaphorical software robots (bots)”. This definition is a bit vague, isn’t it? I read on and had a better understanding of it from the following three sentences.

“perform that task in the application’s graphical user interface (GUI), and then perform the automation by repeating those tasks directly in the GUI.”

“RPA tools have strong technical similarities to graphical user interface testing tools.”

“RPA tools differ from such systems in that they allow data to be handled in and between multiple applications, for instance, receiving email containing an invoice, extracting the data, and then typing that into a bookkeeping system.”

Table of Contents:
· Robotic Process Automation Simplifed
1. RPA drives the application via GUI
2. The audience of RPA is business users
3. RPA often involves Multiple Applications
4. RPA is really a subset of Test Automation, focuses little on Quality Assurance
5. Real Test Automation is much more challenging than RPA
·…

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Zhimin Zhan

Test automation & CT coach, author, speaker and award-winning software developer. Help teams succeed with Agile/DevOps by implementing real Continuous Testing.