Microsoft offers its desktop RPA solution to the public

Technology company Microsoft on Monday said that it has set up a public preview of its Power Automate Desktop, a new desktop-based robotic process automation (RPA) solution that expands low-code automation capabilities for organisations.

Public Preview means that the service is in public beta and can be tried out by anyone with a subscription to Power Automate Desktop.

Using Power Automate Desktop, both coders and non-coders can automate processes and tasks, from simple data transfers to complex business workflows, across desktop and web applications from a single platform, Microsoft said in a blogpost. 

Power Automate Desktop is globally available in English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.

In May 2020, Microsoft acquired Softomotive, a London-based RPA solutions provider, to expand low-code and RPA capabilities in Microsoft Power Automate (MPA). MPA is currently being used by over 3,50,000 organisations globally.

Power Automate Desktop’s functionalities include several features and use cases, as per the blogpost. It can handle both attended RPA, which includes repetitive tasks such as front office activities, and unattended RPA, which includes back office processes.

It also allows users to automate tasks using a drag-and-drop visual designer and live debugging tool.

Users can automate web apps with the software’s web recorder or capture on-screen elements for Windows apps with the desktop recorder. The recorders track keyboard and mouse interactions, and translate them into a clear automation path that can be replayed across web apps and any Windows applications.

Users can also automate both modern, Windows applications and legacy systems, without making changes to their existing IT infrastructure. A single flow can support tasks across systems that include SAP, websites, and legacy terminals such as mainframes and AS/400, Citrix.

The solution enables users to prepare handler errors at any point in the automation process, with each action in the script supporting no-code error and exception handling, and execution logs that include error details and screenshots to help with troubleshooting.