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Populating data pages through unattended robotic automations

Updated on January 21, 2022

Simplify the integration of your application with legacy systems by using data pages to request robots to extract, move, or update data.

For example, by taking advantage of this solution, you can efficiently process data from an outdated application which offers poor user experience or does not have an interface available.

To use unattended robotic automations, a data page invokes a REST request that is authenticated in Pega Robot Manager. Next, by using input from the data page, Robot Manager queues a request for an RPA automation. When a robot completes the automation, it returns the result to Robot Manager. Robot Manager audits the result, and then passes it to the data page as a REST response. The following diagram shows the run-time architecture of the process:

Using robotic automations as data page sources
A diagram that explains how Pega applications process robotic automations that are sources for data pages.
Before you begin:
  • In Pega Robot Studio, build the automation logic for the robot to run.

    For more information, see Pega Robot Studio.

  • Optionally, in Pega Robot Manager create a robotic work group that you want to manage the automation that you built.
    Note: Depending on your business goals, you can also task an existing work group with completing the automation.

    For more information, see Creating robotic work groups and assignment types.

Creating a case type that supports queuing robotic assignments

Enable queuing automation requests in Pega Robot Manager by creating a dedicated case type that contains a single step for assigning automations to robots.

You must perform these steps in the Robot Manager application.
  1. In the navigation pane of App Studio, click Case types.
  2. Click New.
  3. In the Create case type modal dialog box, provide the case name.
    For example: Fetch credit score
  4. Click Next.
  5. On the Workflow tab, in the Create stage, remove the default Create step by clicking the Delete icon, as shown in the following figure:
    Removing the default step from the case
    The default Create step in the single-step case for initiating robotic assignments.

    Note: Because you cannot delete the initial Create stage, you must clear all steps from that stage first.
  6. Add a step for assigning automations to robots:
    1. Click the Add stage to case type icon.
    2. Enter the stage name.
      For example: Return credit score
    3. In the stage that you created, click the Add step to the process icon.
    4. Click MoreAutomationsAssign to robot queue and then click Select.
    5. Optional: To edit the default step name, click the step name and then enter some new text.
  7. Configure the automation routing details:
    1. Expand the contextual menu for the Assign to robot queue step.
    2. On the General tab, in the Route to queue field, select the robotic work group to which you want to assign the automation.
    3. In the Run automation field, enter the name of the process that you want to automate.
    For example: The following figure shows a sample single-step configuration for queuing automation requests from data pages:
    Configuring routing details for a robotic assignment
    The Workflow tab that contains a single-step case design for routing assignments to Robot Manager.
  8. Define the input and output properties for the robotic automation:
    1. Click the Data Model tab.
    2. Click Add field.
    3. In the Add field to modal dialog box, enter the field name.
    4. Select the field type.
    5. Optional: To modify the default property ID, expand the Advanced section, and then edit the existing ID field value.
    6. Optional: To provide additional information about the property, expand the Advanced section, and then fill in the Description field.
    7. Optional: To modify the default maximum number of characters allowed for this property, expand the Advanced section, and then edit the existing Max length property value.
    8. Optional: To add more fields, click Submit & add another.
    9. When you finish adding fields, click Submit.
    For example: The following figure shows a case data model in which the customer name is the robotic automation input property and the credit score is the output property that the robotic automation returns:
    Creating input and output properties for robotic automation
    The Data Model tab that shows sample input and output properties for robotic automation.
  9. Confirm your configuration by clicking Save.
What to do next: Enable your application to request robotic automations in the Robot Manager application by configuring the Robot Manager host server address and authentication profile.

Configuring the Pega Robot Manager host server and authentication profile

Configure the location of the Pega Robot Manager host server and the authentication profile to use when requesting robotic automations through a data page from your application.

You must perform these steps in the application that will request robotic automations from Robot Manager.

    Configuring the Robot Manager host server location:

  1. In the navigation pane of Dev Studio, click RecordsSysAdminDynamic System Settings.
  2. Search for the pegarobotics/RobotManagerHostDomain setting.
  3. In the row for pegarobotics/RobotManagerHostDomain, click the Value field, and then enter the domain details and the HTTP scheme of the Robot Manager host server, including prweb, if applicable.
    For example: https://localhost:8443/prweb
  4. Confirm your settings by clicking Save.

    5. Update the authentication profile:

  5. On the Dynamic System Settings tab, search for the pegarobotics/RoboticAutomationRequestorProfile setting.
  6. In the row for pegarobotics/RoboticAutomationRequestorProfile, click the Value field, and then enter the name of the authentication profile that the connector uses to invoke the Robot Manager REST service.
    For example: You can use the default RoboticAutomationRequestorProfile authentication profile.
  7. Confirm your settings by clicking Save.
  8. Update the authentication profile to reference valid login credentials to the Robot Manager application:
    1. In the navigation pane of Dev Studio, click RecordsSecurityAuthentication Profile.
    2. Search for and click the authentication profile that you entered in step 6.
    3. In the User name field, enter a valid operator ID in the Robot Manager application.
    4. Click Set password.
    5. Enter the current password for the corresponding operator ID and then click Submit.
    6. Confirm your settings by clicking Save.
What to do next: Create a data page that obtains data through a robotic automation and references this case.

Building a data page with robotic automation as the data source

Create a data page that uses robotic automation as the data source and points to the single-step case that you created in the Robot Manager application.

You must perform these steps in the application that will request robotic automations from Robot Manager.
  1. In the header of Dev Studio, click CreateData ModelData Page.
  2. Specify the data page label and application context, and then click Create and open.
  3. Provide the robotic automation input property IDs:
    1. On the Parameters tab of the new data page record, in the Name field, enter an input property ID.
      For example: CustomerName
    2. Optional: To add more properties, click the Add item icon and repeat step 3.a.
  4. Select a robotic automation as the data source:
    1. On the Definition tab, in the Data Sources section, in the Source field, select Robotic automation.
    2. In the Robotic automation field, enter the full class identifier of the single-step case for queuing robotic assignments that you created in the Robot Manager application.
      Tip: You can locate the full class name of the case type through the Application Explorer, as shown in the following figure:
      Full class name of a case type
      Application Explorer in Dev Studio that displays a full class name for a case type.
    3. In the Timeout(s) field, define how many seconds the data page waits for the automation to return the data before timing out.
      For example: 120
  5. Map request data:
    1. In the Request data transform field, click the Open icon to create a data transform for mapping the request data.
    2. Enter the data transform label and then click Create and open.
    3. On the Definition tab, click the Add row icon.
    4. In the new step, in the Action column, select Set.
    5. In the Target column, enter .Input_Property_ID
      For example: .CustomerName
    6. In the Source column, enter param.Input_Property_ID
      For example: param.CustomerName
    7. Repeat steps 5.c through 5.f to add all input properties.
    8. Save the data transform.
      For example: See the following figure for a sample mapping of input properties in the request data transform:
      Configuring a request data transform for robotic automation
      A data transform configuration showing how to set input properties for robotic automation.
  6. Map the response data:
    1. On the data page form, in the Response data transform field, click the Open icon to create a data transform for mapping the response data.
    2. Enter a data transform label and then click Create and open.
    3. Map the automation output to properties in your clipboard.
      For example: The following figure shows a sample Clipboard mapping of JSON automation output that returns customer credit score:
      Mapping automation input
      The Definition tab of a response mapping data transform.
    4. Save the data transform.
  7. Save the data page.
    The following figure shows a data page configuration with a robotic automation as the data source:
    A data page that sources data from a robotic automation
    The Definition tab of a data page record that references a robotic automation as the data source.
Result: The data page that you created to retrieve information by using robotic automation is now available for use in your application.
  • Previous topic Handling data page errors by using a data transform
  • Next topic Attended robotic automation as a data page source

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Pega Platform 8.7 Data Integration

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