Blue Prism RPA: Automating Business Processes with Software Robots

This guide explores Blue Prism, a leading Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform. Learn about its key features, understand how it automates repetitive tasks without modifying existing IT systems, and discover the benefits of using Blue Prism for improved efficiency and productivity.

Top Blue Prism Interview Questions and Answers

What is Blue Prism?

Question 1: What is Blue Prism?

Blue Prism is a leading Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software company. Their tool helps automate repetitive, rule-based tasks using software robots (bots) without requiring changes to existing IT systems.

RPA (Robotic Process Automation)

Question 2: What Does RPA Stand For?

RPA stands for Robotic Process Automation. It uses software robots to mimic human actions to automate tasks.

Key Features of Blue Prism

Question 3: Main Features of Blue Prism

Blue Prism's key features include:

• Accuracy and reliability.
• Security and scalability.
• Powerful analytics.
• Data abstraction.
• Cloud support.
• Multi-platform compatibility.

Coding Requirements for Blue Prism

Question 4: Coding Knowledge Needed for Blue Prism

No coding is typically required to use Blue Prism. Its visual, drag-and-drop interface simplifies automation process design.

Environmental Variables

Question 5: Environmental Variables in Blue Prism

Environmental variables in Blue Prism are accessible across multiple processes and objects. They allow for dynamic configuration of your automation processes.

Steps to use environmental variables:

1. Add a new data item.
2. Set the Exposure to "Environment".
3. Select the desired environment variable from the dropdown.

Benefits of Blue Prism

Question 6: Benefits of Blue Prism

Blue Prism offers benefits like:

• High ROI.
• Fast implementation.
• Robust analytics.
• Support for various character sets.
• Improved productivity.
• Easy implementation (low IT skills needed).

Suitable Processes for Automation

Question 7: Suitable Processes for Blue Prism Automation

Blue Prism is best suited for automating stable, repetitive, rule-based processes. It is less suitable for processes that are constantly changing or require human judgment.

Main Components of Blue Prism

Question 8: Main Components of Blue Prism

Blue Prism's main components are:

• Process Studio: For designing automation processes.
• Object Studio: For creating Visual Business Objects (VBOs) to interact with applications.

Visual Business Objects (VBOs)

Question 9: Role of VBOs in Blue Prism

VBOs (Visual Business Objects) are created in Object Studio. They provide the interface for interacting with external applications, enabling Blue Prism to automate tasks across different systems.

Creating a Simple Process

Question 10: Creating a Simple Process in Blue Prism

Steps to create a simple process:

1. Launch Blue Prism Studio.
2. Create a new process (give it a name and description).
3. Add stages from the Stages toolbar.
4. Connect the stages to define the process flow.
5. Save the process.

Deployment Tools

Question 11: Tools for Deploying Blue Prism Applications

Blue Prism uses the Control Room and System Manager for deploying, monitoring, and managing applications. These tools handle tasks such as scheduling processes, monitoring execution, and viewing logs.

Actions in Blue Prism

Question 12: Actions and Publishing Actions

Actions in Blue Prism implement the logic within business objects. To publish an action, right-click it and select the "Publish" option.

Process Templates

Question 13: Process Templates

In Blue Prism, process templates are pre-built frameworks or blueprints that provide a starting point for developing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) processes. They offer a structured approach to automation development, accelerating the process and promoting best practices.

Benefits of Using Process Templates:

• Faster Development: Templates provide a foundation, eliminating the need to start from scratch, thus saving development time.
• Standardization: Promote consistency and best practices across automation projects.
• Reduced Errors: Pre-built components reduce the likelihood of introducing errors during development.
• Improved Maintainability: Standardized structure makes processes easier to understand, maintain, and update.
• Knowledge Sharing: Templates facilitate the sharing of best practices and knowledge within development teams.

Common Components of a Process Template:

• Process Diagram: A visual representation of the automated workflow.
• Object Model: Definitions of the application objects and their interactions.
• Input and Output Parameters: Data passed into and out of the process.
• Exception Handling: Mechanisms for handling errors and unexpected situations.
• Logging and Reporting: Functionality to record process execution details.
• Configuration Settings: Parameters to customize the process behavior.

Types of Process Templates:

While specific templates vary depending on the organization and its needs, common types include:

• Login/Logout Template: Automates user login and logout procedures for various applications.
• Data Extraction Template: Extracts data from different sources like websites, documents, or databases.
• Report Generation Template: Automates the creation of reports.
• File Transfer Template: Moves files between systems or directories.
• Email Automation Template: Sends and receives emails, processes email attachments.

How to Use Process Templates:

1. Select a Suitable Template: Choose a template that aligns with the desired automation task.
2. Import the Template: Import the template into your Blue Prism environment.
3. Customize the Template: Modify the template to fit the specific requirements of the process, including updating input parameters, object model definitions, and workflow logic.
4. Test and Deploy: Thoroughly test the customized process before deploying it into production.

By leveraging process templates, organizations can streamline their RPA development efforts, improve the quality and maintainability of their automated processes, and accelerate their digital transformation initiatives.

Process Templates

Question 13: Process Templates in Blue Prism

Process templates in Blue Prism provide pre-built structures for creating automation processes. They include basic activities and configurations, speeding up development and ensuring consistency across projects. They also help developers understand work queue implementations.

Blue Prism Architecture

Question 14: Blue Prism Architecture Diagram

(A diagram would be inserted here. The diagram should illustrate the key components: Control Room, System Manager, Process Studio, Object Studio, and the interaction between them and external systems.)

Blue Prism Lifecycle Phases

Question 15: Blue Prism Lifecycle Phases

The Blue Prism lifecycle typically involves three phases:

1. Phase 1: Requirements Gathering and Analysis: Collaboration between developers and business users to define requirements (Process Definition Document).
2. Phase 2: Process Design and Development: Building the automation process in Process Studio, including testing with live data.
3. Phase 3: Testing, Deployment, and Monitoring: Testing in various environments (test and production), monitoring performance, and creating reports based on acceptance criteria.

Blue Prism vs. Automation Anywhere

Question 16: Blue Prism vs. Automation Anywhere

Both are popular RPA tools, but they differ in several aspects:

Blue Prism Professional Services

Question 17: Blue Prism Professional Services

Blue Prism's professional services provide training, consulting, and support to help organizations implement and maximize their use of Blue Prism RPA.

Blue Prism vs. UiPath

Question 18: Blue Prism vs. UiPath

Both are leading RPA tools, but key differences include cost, ease of use, scalability, and deployment architecture. Blue Prism is often associated with larger deployments and a focus on enterprise solutions, while UiPath is considered more versatile and accessible to smaller teams and individuals.

Security in Blue Prism

Question 19: Security Options in Blue Prism

Blue Prism has several security features:

• User Management: Controls user access and permissions.
• Credential Management: Securely stores sensitive information.
• Security Policies: Defines rules for passwords and access controls.
• Role-based Access Control (RBAC): Assigns roles with specific permissions.
• Auditing: Maintains a detailed audit trail of all activities.

Secure and Auditable Automation

Question 20: Secure and Auditable Platform

Blue Prism is considered secure and auditable due to its isolated runtime environment, role-based access control, and detailed audit trails. This ensures transparency and accountability in the automation process.

Blue Prism Terminology

Question 21: Blue Prism Terminology

Understanding Blue Prism terminology is crucial:

• IPA (Initial Process Analysis): High-level analysis of a process.
• PDD (Process Definition Document): Describes the process to be automated.
• FRQ (Functional Requirements Questionnaire): Gathers information about process requirements.
• SDD (Solution Design Document): Details the design of the automation solution.
• OID (Operational Impact Document): Describes operational aspects post-implementation.
• PDI (Process Design Instruction): Blueprint for designing automation processes.
• ODI (Object Design Instruction): Blueprint for designing business objects.

Work Queues in Blue Prism

Question 22: Work Queues in Blue Prism

Work queues in Blue Prism are used to manage large volumes of tasks. They efficiently distribute work items to multiple robots, improving processing speed and throughput.

Work Queues and Priorities

Question 22: Work Queues and Priorities in Blue Prism

Work queues in Blue Prism break down large tasks into smaller units, allowing multiple robots to work concurrently. To set priorities:

1. Use the "Add to Queue" action to add an item.
2. Access the queue item to set its priority (this cannot be changed later).

Tags in Blue Prism

Question 23: Tags in Blue Prism

Tags in Blue Prism are keywords assigned to work queue items. They allow you to filter and retrieve specific items from a queue using the "Get Next Item" action's Tag Filter parameter.

Application Modeller

Question 24: Application Modeller

The Application Modeller in Blue Prism's Object Studio creates models of applications. It identifies UI elements based on their attributes and allows you to configure how Blue Prism robots interact with them. This creates a reusable model that robots can use.

Multiple-Part Processes

Question 25: Multiple-Part Processes

Multiple-Part processes in Blue Prism are used for tasks involving multiple steps or sub-processes that can run concurrently. They're useful when work items depend on a parent process or when handling a high volume of requests throughout the day.

Attach Option

Question 26: Attach Option

The Attach option in Blue Prism is used to identify and connect to a specific application. You specify criteria, such as process name or window title, to establish the connection to an application.

Dynamic Match Type

Question 27: Dynamic Match Type

Dynamic Match Type lets you manually specify attribute values within a process, overriding the default values from the Application Modeller. This allows more flexibility in how Blue Prism interacts with applications.

Preserve Checkbox

Question 28: Preserve Checkbox

The Preserve checkbox in Blue Prism's Recovery mode prevents detailed exception information from being logged. The exception is re-thrown, allowing for handling at a higher level. Using it outside of recovery mode may lead to issues.

Hardware Requirements

Question 29: Hardware Requirements for Blue Prism

Blue Prism doesn't have strict hardware requirements. It can typically run on existing IT infrastructure and is designed to meet standard IT security and operational requirements.

Stopping Processes in Control Room

Question 30: Stopping Processes in Control Room

To stop a running process in Blue Prism's Control Room:

1. Click the stop button.
2. (Alternatively) Select the process session, double-click, and choose Request Stop (graceful stop) or Immediate Stop.

Active Accessibility Interface

Question 31: Active Accessibility Interface

The Active Accessibility Interface in Blue Prism is used to interact with UI elements that are not easily accessible through the default Win32 interface. While more versatile, it's generally slower and should be used when necessary.

Wait Stage

Question 32: Wait Stage

The Wait stage in Blue Prism handles system latency. It pauses execution until a specific condition is met or a timeout occurs. Best practice is to always throw an exception on timeout instead of trying to continue from the wait stage.

Throttle

Question 33: Throttle

A throttle in Blue Prism is a type of Wait stage with no specific condition; it simply introduces a delay (controlled by a data item) into the process flow.

Control Room

Question 34: Control Room

The Control Room is Blue Prism's central management console. It provides monitoring, scheduling, and control over the execution of your automation processes.

Match Index vs. Match Reverse

Question 35: Match Index vs. Match Reverse

Match Index and Match Reverse are Blue Prism features that control how the software identifies user interface (UI) elements. They offer different approaches to element selection when multiple similar elements exist.

Match Index and Match Reverse

Question 35: Match Index and Match Reverse

In Blue Prism, these options control how a robot searches for UI elements:

• Match Index: Searches from top to bottom.
• Match Reverse: Searches from bottom to top.

Both stop after the first match, ignoring duplicates. Use them when you need to locate a specific element and duplicates are unlikely or unwanted.

Getting Work from a Workflow System

Question 36: Getting Work from a Workflow System

Two methods exist for Blue Prism to receive tasks from a workflow system:

1. Method 1 (Bulk Load): Load all tasks into a queue at once. Robots retrieve items from the queue.
2. Method 2 (Real-time): Add items to the queue as new tasks become available. The item is locked for processing immediately upon addition.

Connectors in Blue Prism

Question 37: Connectors in Blue Prism

Connectors in Blue Prism handle interactions with different application types:

• Java Connector: For Java applications (applets, Swing).
• Windows Connector: For Windows applications (.NET, VB, etc.).
• Citrix Connector: For Citrix-virtualized applications.
• Mainframe Connector: For mainframe applications (using terminal emulators).
• HTML Connector: For web applications (HTML, JavaScript).

Recover Stage

Question 38: Recover Stage in Blue Prism

The Recover stage is used for exception handling. It allows you to define recovery actions to be executed when an exception occurs. This stage puts the process into recovery mode.

System Unavailable Exception and Mark Exception

Question 39: System Unavailable Exception and Mark Exception

• System Unavailable Exception: Occurs when an application fails to launch or respond.
• Mark Exception: Used to manage exceptions, including setting the "Keep Locked" flag to retain control of the work item and the "Retry" flag to enable automatic retries.

Object Spying Modes

Question 40: Object Spying Modes in Blue Prism

Blue Prism provides several object spying modes:

• WIN32: For standard Windows applications.
• Region: For identifying a specific area on the screen.
• UI Automation: Uses Microsoft's UI Automation framework.
• HTML: For web applications.
• Accessibility: Uses the Active Accessibility interface (slower but more versatile).