Low entry threshold
Getting started with UiPath does not require large investments. For smaller organizations and for evaluation purposes, a free “community” version can be downloaded. The great thing is that this version already includes all the features of the paid version. Purchasing the paid-for “enterprise” version need not encounter major financial concerns either, with annual license fees for the basic set-up around €5,000. That may be a lot more expensive than Microsoft Power Platform in some cases, but Power Platform is still too limited in terms of functionality for many companies, even for simple applications.
Comprehensive training and support
In addition to making the community version available free of charge, the training materials are also available free online in the UiPath Academy. There are certificates associated with completing the various training modules, which can be obtained when online tests are passed with positive results. To complement the Academy, there is also a very active UiPath Forum where developers find each other for questions and to exchange experiences. Customers with a paying license can also call on UiPath’s own support services, similar to a traditional help desk.
User-friendly development and user interface
UiPath’s user interface is quite user-friendly and simply constructed. Processes are presented in a Visio-like workflow that makes it easy to keep track. Activities can be selected from a library via drag and drop, where they can be found via a convenient search function. Provided it is thoughtfully constructed, modules that recur in different processes can be reused without much effort. Furthermore, UiPath has recorder functionality that allows it to record the way a human user executes a process and use that basis as a starting point for the actual automation.
Attended and unattended
Attended and unattended are terms often used when talking about RPA. In short, this involves the distinction between an end user who directly controls the bot and interacts with it to some extent, versus a bot that invisibly completes a process behind the scenes, often scripted. Both scenarios are supported by UiPath, and within one environment the combination of both types is also possible.
