Pega Robot Manager™ 6 allows you to manage your RPA robots - start, stop, terminate and schedule them. You can configure it to suit the needs of your organization.

For information about upgrading from previous versions of Pega Robot Manager, see Upgrading to Pega Robot Manager 6 for Pega Platform 8.1. For a new installation, see Installing Pega Robot Manager 6.

For information about using Pega Robot Manager, see Using Pega Robot Manager 6 for Pega Platform 8.1.

See the following topics for information about configuring Pega Robot Manager:

• Installing Pega Robot Manager 6
• BankerPro sample application
• Adding Pega Robot Manager to a new application
• Adding Pega Robot Manager to an existing application that uses a previous UIKit version
• Robot registration and work group assignment
• Enabling scheduling of robots
• Enable monitoring the health of ProcessRobotScheduleActions agent
• Enabling monitoring of robot and RPA Service health
• Enabling automatic cleanup of disconnected robots
• Enabling automatic cleanup of stale automation assignments
• User roles
• Associating access groups and roles
• Configuring authentication for new users
• Configuring notifications
• Configuring the pyCompleteAutomation flow action
• Modifying dynamic system settings

Installing Pega Robot Manager 6

To install Pega Robot Manager, perform the following actions:

1. Install Pega Platform 8.1, and then verify your installation as described in the Platform Installation Guide for your environment, available on the Deployment guides page.
2. Download Pega Robot Manager version 6 from Pega Robot Manager Exchange page.
3. Extract the files from the PegaRobotManager.zip file.
4. Import the Pega Robot Manager application bundle into Pega Platform:
   1. Log in to Pega Platform by using the administrator ID that you set up when you installed Pega Platform (for example, [email protected]) and the password that you specified.

      The default Pega Platform address is https://<hostname>:<port>/prweb.

5. Open the Import Wizard. In the header of Dev Studio, click Configure > Application > Distribution > Import.
6. Depending on your browser, click Choose file or Browse, browse to the location where you extracted the PegaRobotManager.zip file, open the 8.1\Rules\PegaRobotManager_<version>_81.jar file, and then click Next.

   Example: For Pega Robot Manager 6.2 the relative file path is 8.1\Rules\PegaRobotManager_V62_81.jar

7. Select Enable advanced mode to provide more granular control over the import process, and then click Next and follow the wizard instructions.

• Enable the Pega Robot Manager Admin operator account:
  1. Log in to Pega Platform by using the administrator ID that you set up when you installed Pega Platform (for example, [email protected]) and the password that you specified.
  2. In the header of Dev Studio, click Org & Security > Authentication > Operator Access.
  3. In the Disabled operators section, select the check boxes next to the RMSysAdmin operator.
  4. Click Enable Selected, and then click Submit.
  5. In the Enable Operator window, copy the temporary passwords of the sample operators and communicate them to the users who will be using them, following your organization's security protocols.

     When you log in to Pega Platform as a sample operator for the first time, you are prompted to set a new password.

  6. Click OK.

BankerPro sample application

Pega Robot Manager download includes a .zip file with a preconfigured BankerPro sample application that demonstrates how you can incorporate Pega Robot Manager into a new or existing Pega application. The BankerPro application includes several case types that are configured for traditional, straight-through robotic process automation processing. Each case type has a single stage and a single processing step, which queues a new assignment to a robot by using the Assign to robot queue advanced shape. The BankerPro application installation is described in the Installing the BankerPro sample application section.

The application also includes preconfigured work groups and assignment types (work queues). Use work groups to segment your RPA robot population into groups of robots that perform similar types of work. The BankerPro application includes work groups for Banking and Customer service.

Installing the BankerPro sample application

1. Install the BankerPro sample application:
   1. Log in to Pega Platform by using the administrative ID that you set up while installing the Pega Platform (for example [email protected]) and the password that you specified.

      The default Pega Platform address is https://<hostname>:<port>/prweb.

2. Open the Import Wizard. In the header of Dev Studio, click Configure > Application > Distribution > Import.
3. Click Choose file, browse to the location 8.1\Sample\PegaRobotManager_SampleBankerProApplication_<version>_81.jar file, click Next, and then follow the wizard instructions.

   Example: For Pega Robot Manager 6.1 for Pega Platform 8.1 the file name is PegaRobotManager_SampleBankerProApplication_v61_81.jar

4. Enable BankerPro operator accounts:
   1. Log in to Pega Platform by using the administrative ID that you set up when you installed Pega Platform (for example [email protected]) and the password that you specified.
   2. In the header of Dev Studio, click Org & Security > Authentication > Operator Access.
   3. In the Disabled operators section, select the check boxes next to the following operators: Admin@BankerPro, Bank00, Bank01, Bank02, CustServ00, CustServ01, CustServ02
   4. Click Enable Selected, and then click Submit.
   5. In the Enable Operator window, copy the temporary passwords of the sample operators and communicate them to employees who will be using them, following your organization's security protocols.

      When you log in to Pega Platform as a sample operator for the first time, you are prompted to set a new password.

   6. Click OK.

​Adding Pega Robot Manager to a new application

When you create a Pega Platform application, you can add Pega Robot Manager to your application by completing the following steps:

1. Log in to Pega Platform as RMSysAdmin user.
   Note: As RMSysAdmin you can only create a new application, but you cannot view the Robot Manager portal.
2. Create a custom application by using the New Application wizard in Dev Studio. Your application will be automatically configured to be built on the UIKit 11.01 application layer.
3. In Dev Studio, open your application record:
   1. In the navigation panel of Dev Studio, click Records.
   2. Expand the Application Definition category, and then click Application.
   3. Click your application.
4. In the Edit Application rule form, in the Built on application(s) section, add the PegaRoboticAutomationConsole application to the stack:
   1. Click Add application.
   2. In the Name field, enter PegaRoboticAutomationConsole.
   3. In the Version field, enter 02.02.01.
5. Click Save.
6. Open your operator access group.
   1. In Dev Studio, click Operator icon > Access Group
   2. In the Available portals section of the access group, add pyRoboticConsole to the list of portals.
   3. Click Save.

Adding Pega Robot Manager to an existing application that uses a UIKit version earlier than 11.01.

​If you have an existing Pega Platform application that uses a UIKit version earlier than 11.01, you can add Pega Robot Manager to your application by completing the following steps:

1. Log in to Dev Studio as an administrator of your existing application.
2. Open your application record:
   1. In the navigation panel of Dev Studio, click Records.
   2. Expand the Application Definition category, and then click Application.
   3. Click your application.
3. In the Edit Application form, in the Built on application(s) section, add UIKit 11.01 to the application stack:
   1. Click Add application.
   2. In the Name field, press the Down Arrow key and select UIKit.
   3. In the Version field, press the Down Arrow key and select 11.01.
4. Add your PegaRoboticAutomationConsole to your application stack:
   1. In the same Edit Application form, in the Built on application(s) section, click Add Application.
   2. In the Name field, press the Down Arrow key and select PegaRoboticAutomationConsole.
   3. In the Version field, press the Down Arrow key and select 03.01.01.
5. Click Save.
6. Create an access group that points to the PegaRobotAutomationConsole application:
   1. Click Create > Security > Access Group.
   2. Enter a name and description, and click Create and Open.
   3. In the Application section, in the Name field, enter PegaRoboticAutomationConsole.
   4. In the Version field, enter 02.02.01.
   5. In the Available portals section of the access group, add pyRoboticConsole to the list of portals.
   6. On the Advanced tab of the access group, add the default work pool of your existing built-on application.
   7. Click Save in the Edit Access Group form.
7. Assign the new access group to your users. For more information, see Profile tab on the Operator ID form.

RPA Service-assisted robots and stand-alone robots

Pega Robot Manager supports both RPA Service-assisted robots and stand-alone robots. RPA Service-assisted robots can be scheduled, started, stopped, terminated, and moved between work groups from the Pega Robot Manager interface. A stand-alone robot can be stopped from the Pega Robot Manager interface, but it cannot be scheduled, started, or terminated.

Robot registration and work group assignment

Every robot must successfully register with Pega Robot Manager before it can run automations. The registration process is performed by an administrative operator (also called a registration operator) that has an appropriate access role. During registration, the robot is assigned into a base work group based on the configuration request of the robot or by the configuration of decision tables. A successful registration assigns the robot to the correct base work group with the appropriate access groups and roles.

If you have multiple work groups, and you want to move robots between them either manually or by using a schedule, you need to define a list of eligible work groups that are mapped to an administrative operator that is used to register the robots.

Creating an administrative operator

To start registration, robots use a shared set of credentials. These credentials are for an operator that is sometimes called the administrative operator or registration operator. These credentials are used only to establish an initial connection with Pega Robot Manager.

1. Create a new operator record in Dev Studio:
   1. Click Create > Organization > OperatorID.
   2. Enter a short description and identifier, and click Create and Open.
   3. Enter the details of the administrative operator.
   4. In the Applicationaccess section of Profile tab, add an access group that includes the PegaRULES:RoboticAdministrator, PegaRoboticAutomationConsole:RobotRegistrator, and PegaRULES:PegaAPI access roles.
      Note: The combination of these roles is necessary and sufficient to register robots and RPA Service operators.
   5. Click Save.

You can also refer to the BankingAdministrator operator that is included in the BankerPro sample application layer.

Registering an RPA Service-assisted robot

The RPA Service is a Windows service for monitoring and controlling a robot from Pega Robot Manager. It must be installed and running on the same machine as the Robot Runtime. For more information, see Installing the Robotic Process Automation Scheduling service.

The RPA Service and its associated robot register in Pega Robot Manager by using the administrative credentials. When an RPA Service-assisted robot is started for the first time, it registers into a work group that is based on its configuration request or based on the configuration of your Pega application. This work group becomes the base work group of that robot and enables you to move the robot between work group either manually or by using a schedule. When an RPA Service-assisted robot is stopped and then started again, it is registered into the same work group that it was assigned to, whether this work group was its base group or not.

Registering a stand-alone robot

A stand-alone robot registers with Pega Robot Manager by using the administrative credentials. This type of robot cannot be started or scheduled from the Pega Robot Manager interface. A successful registration will result in the robot being assigned into the correct work group with the appropriate access groups and roles.

Configuring the work group assignment sequence

A robot can request to join a specific work group. If a specific work group is not specified by the robot, Pega Robot Manager attempts to find a work group that the robot should join from the pyGetWorkGroupByRobotID and pyGetWorkGroupForRobotByRequestorOperatorID decision tables.

You can configure Pega Robot Manager so that the specific method of work group registration takes precedence over the others; if one method does not work, then other methods are applied.

1. In the navigation panel of Dev Studio, click Records.
2. Expand the SysAdmin category, and then click Dynamic System Settings.
3. Click the record with the pegarobotics Owning Ruleset and WorkgroupSpecifiedInPayloadTakesPrecedence Setting Purpose.
4. On the Settings tab, in the Value field, enter one of the following values:
   • true: Use this setting if you have configured your robots to request a work group in their registration requests. Pega Robot Manager attempts to assign the robot to the work group that is specified in the request. However, if the registration request contains an invalid work group, Pega Robot Manager attempts to assign the robot to a work group that is specified in the pyGetWorkGroupByRobotID decision table. If this fails, it attempts to assign the robot to a work group that is specified in the pyGetWorkGroupForRobotByRequestorOperatorID decision table.
   • false: Use this setting if you want Pega Robot Manager to automatically determine the work group for each robot. Pega Robot Manager attempts to match the robot to the work group by using pyGetWorkGroupByRobotID decision table. If the work group that is specified in that decision table is not valid, Pega Robot Manager attempts to match the administrative credentials to a valid work group by using the pyGetWorkGroupForRobotByRequestorOperatorID decision table. However, if the work group that is specified in the decision table is also not valid, Pega Robot Manager uses the work group that is specified in the registration request of the robot.
5. Click Save.

If none of these options results in a valid work group, the robot registration fails.

Assigning to a work group by request

For more information about configuring the registration request within a robot, see the Common Configuration Settings section in the help for Pega Robotic Automation Runtime.

Assigning to a work group by using a decision table

If you want Pega Robot Manager to automatically assign each robot to a work group, you can customize one of the provided decision tables, depending on the method that you want to use. A robot can be assigned to a work group based on the user ID or the robot ID.

Configuring the pyGetWorkGroupByRobotID decision table

Use the pyGetWorkGroupByRobotID decision table to assign robots to work groups based on robot ID.

1. In the navigation panel of Dev Studio, click Records.
2. Expand the Decision category, and then click Decision Table.
3. Click the pyGetWorkGroupByRobotID decision table in the Pega-Robot-Register class and save it to your application ruleset.
4. Add the robot IDs and their corresponding work group IDs to the decision table. For more information about decision tables, see About Decision Tables.
5. Click Save.
6. Set the sequence in which the system registers robots (either from within the registration request of a robot or through the decision tables) by editing the WorkgroupSpecifiedInPayloadTakesPrecedence dynamic system setting. For more information, see Configuring work group assignment sequence.

Configuring the pyGetWorkGroupForRobotByRequestorOperatorID decision table

Use the pyGetWorkGroupForRobotByRequestorOperatorID decision table to map the user credentials to work groups in your application. For example, if you use Kerberos authentication, your decision table maps the Microsoft Windows user principal name (UPN) from a valid Kerberos ticket to a work group in your system. All robots registered using these credentials will be assigned to the work group specified in the decision table.

1. In the navigation panel of Dev Studio, click Records.
2. Expand the Decision category, and then click Decision Tree.
3. Click the pyGetWorGroupForRobotByRequestorOperatorID decision table in the Pega-Robot-Register class and save it to your application ruleset.
4. Add the user names and their corresponding work group IDs to the decision table. For example, for Kerberos authentication, add the user principal names (UPNs) and their corresponding work groups to the decision table. For more information about decision tables, see About Decision Tables.
5. Click Save.
6. Set the sequence in which the system registers robots (either from within the registration request of a robot or through the decision tables) by editing WorkgroupSpecifiedInPayloadTakesPrecedence dynamic system setting. For more information, see Configuring work group assignment sequence.

Defining work groups that a robot can move to

To move robots between work groups either manually or by using a schedule, you need to define a list of eligible work groups for each administrative operator (registration operator) that registered the robots. All the robots that were registered by the same administrative operator can move to those work groups.

1. In the navigation panel of Dev Studio, click Records.
2. Expand the Decision category, and then click Decision Table.
3. Click the pyGetCandidateWorkGroupListByDispatchOperator decision table in the Pega-Robot-Register class and save it to your application ruleset.
4. For each administrative operator (registration operator), provide a comma-separated list of candidate work group IDs. All robots registered by a specific operator can be moved between the specified candidate work groups. The move command can be entered by Pega Robot Manager users or by a schedule.
   Note: The list of candidate work groups must contain ID of robot's base work group, which is the work group where the robot was assigned when it was first registered.
   For more information, see About Decision Tables.
5. Click Save.

Assigning an access group to a robot

After the robot registration sequence determines a valid work group for a robot, Pega Robot Manager must also identify an access group to which to map the work group. You can customize the pyGetAccessGroupForRobotByWorkGroup decision table to map a valid work group to an access group. Each access group can have different access roles so that you can customize the access rights of each robot in your application. If the decision table does not map a work group to a valid access group, robot registration fails.

You can view the decision table in the BankerPro application layer for an example of how to customize the access group.

Enabling scheduling of robots

The ProcessRobotScheduleActions agent checks whether a schedule is set on a robot and runs the defined schedule.

Enable this agent by completing the following steps:

1. Click Records > Sys Admin > Agent Schedule.
2. Select the Pega-Robotic-AutomationPackageManagement instance on the node where you want to enable the ProcessRobotScheduleActions agent.
3. Select the Enabled? check box for the ProcessRobotScheduleActions agent.
4. Click Save.
   Note: The ProcessRobotScheduleActions agent must be run in a Periodic pattern, on a single node, which is the same node that NotifyRobotSchedulingAgentTermination runs on. For more information, see Agents rules – Completing the Schedule tab.

Enable monitoring health of the ProcessRobotScheduleActions agent

The NotifyRobotSchedulingAgentTermination agent checks whether the ProcessRobotScheduleActions agent is enabled and notifies the user when it is not working. It must be enabled on a single node, the same as the node that ProcessRobotScheduleActions agent is enabled on.

1. Click Records > Sys Admin > Agent Schedule.
2. Select the Pega-Robotic-AutomationPackageManagement instance on the node where you want to enable the NotifyRobotSchedulingAgentTermination agent.
3. Select the Enabled? check box for the NotifyRobotSchedulingAgentTermination agent.
4. Click Save.

Enabling monitoring of robot and RPA Service health

The MonitorRobotCommandAndHeartbeat agent checks the status of robots and the RPA Service – whether the RPA Service and robot send a heartbeat signal regularly and if the robot responds appropriately when it receives commands such as start or stop. The status of all robots that are visible in Pega Robot Manager is updated based on the actions of this agent.

Enable this agent by completing the following steps:

1. Click Records > Sys Admin > Agent Schedule.
2. Select the Pega-Robotic-AutomationPackageManagement instance on the node where you want to enable the MonitorRobotCommandAndHeartbeat agent.
3. Select the Enabled? check box for the MonitorRobotCommandAndHeartbeat agent.
4. Click Save.

Enabling automatic cleanup of disconnected robots

The ProcessStaleRobots agent finds running robots that have lost connectivity with Pega Robot Manager and stops them.

Enable this agent by completing the following steps:

1. Click Records > Sys Admin > Agent Schedule.
2. Select the Pega-Robotic-AutomationPackageManagement instance on the node where you want to enable the ProcessStaleRobots agent.
3. Select the Enabled? check box for the ProcessStaleRobots agent.
4. Click Save.

Enabling automatic cleanup of stale automation assignments

The RoboticAssignmentProcessing agent finds stale automation assignments that have been in a robot's personal work queue for longer than expected and moves them to the list of automations that have timed out. You can view automations that have timed out in the Time-outs on the Issues page.

​Enable this agent by completing the following steps:

1. Click Records > Sys Admin > Agent Schedule.
2. Select the Pega-Robotic-AutomationPackageManagement instance on the node where you want to enable the RoboticAssignmentProcessing agent.
3. Select the Enabled? check box for the RoboticAssignmentProcessing agent.
4. Click Save.

User roles

Users with different roles use Pega Robot Manager. Robot Manager ships with the following predefined access roles:

• Administrator (AutomationPackageManagement:Admin) – Administrators can perform all actions in Pega Robot Manager. Only these users can deploy packages to the Production deployment level.
• Developer (AutomationPackageManagement:Developer) – Developers can publish and manage automation packages.
• User admin (AutomationPackageManagement:UserAdmin) – UserAdmins can manage runtime users and the organizational hierarchy.
• Runtime user (AutomationPackageManagement:RuntimeUser) – Runtime users cannot log in to Pega Robot Manager. Runtime users are typically case workers who merely fetch their automation package assignment from Pega Robot Manager

The following table summarizes the tasks that each type of user can perform.

For more information, see Access roles.

Associating access groups and roles

Access groups and access roles determine the permissions of each user in your Pega application. When you add a user in Pega Robot Manager, you associate the role with the access group to apply the role permissions to the user.

1. In Dev Studio, create an access group that points to your application by clicking Create > Security > Access Group.
2. Enter a name and description, and click Create and Open.
3. In the Application section, specify your application name and version.
4. In the Available roles section, click Add role.
5. In the field that is displayed, press the Down Arrow key and select the roles that you want to associate with the access group.

   For more information about access roles required for specific access groups and the corresponding sample access groups in the BankerPro application, see the following table:

   Access group to be used for a persona	Access roles required	Sample access group in BankerPro
   Registration Operator / Administrative Operator	PegaRoboticAutomationConsole:RobotRegistrator PegaRULES:RoboticAdministrator PegaRULES:PegaAPI	BankerPro:RoboticAdministrators
   Robot/RunTimeUser	AutomationPackageManagement:RuntimeUser PegaRULES:PegaAPI PegaRULES:User4 (or an application-specific clone of it)	BankerPro:RuntimeUser
   Application Administrator / Robot Manager  Administrator	AutomationPackageManagement:Admin PegaRULES:SecurityAdministrator (needed in 8.1.4 onwards to manage roles in other AGs) PegaRULES:SysAdm4 (or an application-specific clone of it)	BankerPro:Administrators
   Developer	AutomationPackageManagement:Developer PegaRULES:User4 (or an application-specific clone of it)	BankerPro:Developer
   UserAdmin	AutomationPackageManagement:UserAdmin PegaRULES:User4 (or an application-specific clone of it)	BankerPro:UserAdmin

6. Save the Edit Access Group rule form.

For more information, see Access Group data instances.

You can also create an access role and add privileges to it. For more information, see Access roles.

Configuring authentication for new users

Configure authentication requirements for user roles before creating users in Pega Robot Manager. By default, Pega Robotic Automation Runtime users authenticate with Pega Robot Manager using single sign-on authentication; users with all other roles authenticate using basic authentication. Pega Robot Manager supports basic authentication and single sign-on (SSO) using either OAuth 2.0 with SAML bearer assertion or Kerberos.

When you create user accounts in Pega Robot Manager, the authentication method that is assigned to each user is determined by their specified role and the dynamic system setting that is associated with the specified role.

1. In the navigation panel of Dev Studio, click Records.
2. Expand the SysAdmin category, and then click Dynamic System Settings.
3. To specify the authentication that is used for the AutomationPackageManagement:RuntimeUser role:
   1. Click the PegaRoboticAutomationManagement owning ruleset that has the pegarobotics/DefaultAuthenticationTypeRuntimeOnlyUser Setting Purpose value.
   2. In the Value field, enter SSO or Basic.
   3. Save the rule form.
4. To specify the authentication for all other roles:
   1. Click the PegaRoboticAutomationManagement owning ruleset that has the pegarobotics/DefaultAuthenticationType Setting Purpose value.
   2. In the Value field, enter SSO or Basic.
   3. Save the rule form.

For information on configuring single sign-on, see Configuring authentication for Pega Robot Manager 6 for Pega Platform 8.1.

Configuring notifications

In case of unexpected behavior or errors, Pega Robot Manager users can be notified by webgadget and email. To take advantage of this feature, perform the following steps:

1. Configure an email account to send the notifications. For more information, see Creating an email account.
2. Set the Public Link URL to the following format: http://<host>/prweb/PRServlet. For more information, see System Settings – Resource URLs tab.
3. Optional: Customize the default notification thresholds:
   1. In the navigation panel of Dev Studio, click Records.
   2. Expand the Decision category, and then click Decision Table.
   3. Click the pyGetThresholdByNotificationType decision table in the Pega-Robot-Register class and save it to your application ruleset.
   4. Modify the default values of relevant notification types:
      • pyNotifyAutomationExceedsExecution - notification is triggered when the time it took a robot to complete the automation was longer by the specified percentage than the value specified on the originating work queue. Default value: 30.
      • pyRobotQueueExceedingCapacity - notification is triggered when pending items in any robotic work queue reaches the specified percentage of capacity. Default value: 80.
      • pyNotifyWorkQueueHasPastSLA - notification is triggered when an assignment in a robotic queue reaches a specific percentage of the SLA deadline. Default value: 80.
      • pyNotifyRobotFailuresReachThreshold - notification is triggered when a robot exceeds its predetermined failure count threshold. Default value: 80.
   5. Modify the labels in the user interface so that they match the customized values.

Configuring the pyCompleteAutomation flow action

In Pega Robot Manager, the pyCompleteAutomation is marked as an Extension. Its default behavior is to consider the automation status as "Complete" and move the flow to the next stage of the case life cycle. It is strongly recommended to customize the default behavior of pyCompleteAutomation flow action to better suit the needs of your organization.

Modifying dynamic system settings

The following dynamic system settings can be modified to adapt Pega Robot Manager to the specific needs of your organization.

• AllowedWaitTimeForRobotRegistration - specifies the maximum expected time that the RPA Service should take to start up the Robot Runtime system. It includes the time to unlock the remote machine, and start the runtime process. Default value: 120 seconds
• MaxStartsIssuedPerScheduleAction - prevents the Pega Robot Manager system from continually attempting to restart a robot that has failed to start during one Scheduled action or Otherwise event. This value will be read before attempting to start a robot. If the number of start attempts is less than the number provided, the start will be issued. Default value: 4
• ServiceOperatorHeartbeatInterval - defines how often the RPA Service should send a heartbeat signal to Pega Robot Manager. When the RPA Service does not send a heartbeat within this interval, it is assumed to be not running. When the RPA Service is not running, UI options (like Start a robot and Terminate a robot) will not be available from the Pega Robot Manager. Default value: 45 seconds
• TimeoutIntervalForRobotCommandToBeCompleted - determines the time-out interval for the start command issued to robots in conjunction with the RPA Service heartbeat interval. Default value: 30 seconds