问题
I've worked with test automation tools and know technically how it works, basically record (generate scripts) and replay (the generated scripts with data).
Now I heard of RPA, and people tell me its advantage is handling non-structured process, pattern and data. I want to know how exactly RPA does the work, how much different from the record and replay?
回答1:
I consider that the RPA term is very much biased towards corporate automation in general understood as vehicle for digital company tranformation. Some guys who want to get time/budget for more test automation could have better times now:
- Tekkie tester: let's automate our tests!
- Manager. Why?
- Tekkie tester. It saves us lots of time and my job would be less boring. Let me show what I have tried out with tool X..
- Manager. No - now please return to your work and concentrate on your primary tasks rather than experimentations; we have really critical situation with that deadline.
- Tekkie tester: but, test automation is after all a flavour of Robotic Process Automation applied to our department! And this is exactly the strategy promoted by our new CIO! They even do sponsor this, as I have seen on our corporate intranet.
- Manager. Now we are talking! Please show me what you have got, and we should talk to our depatment leader, he will love it. We already do Robotic Process Automation, you said?
回答2:
RPA getting differentiating from test automation through the aspect of business logic handling RPA is automation + deciding what are the automation to be executed and values to be entered in the RPA candidate applications it is more towards Artificial Intelligence and Coginitive capabilities more over it is adding OCR HCR features to read various file data
回答3:
In theory, both testing automation tool and RPA are identical but in practice
RPA process runs with multiple applications whereas Must test automation scenarios are applicable to single application
Most RPA tools come up with some OCR capabilities so you can execute processes on the remote desktop or Citrix environment. I am not sure if you can do so with regular testing automation tools
Advance logical capabilities: Consider a scenario, read all the emails received today, and if it has specific text, save attachement to the specific file folder and move email to another folder. In RPA tool, it is easy. Now try to do in your testing automation tool
Ability to launch multiple instances on multiple predefine machine. In testing automation tool, you need a load runner or jmeter but still not the same.
Batter process orchestration capabilities
回答4:
Test automation tools assist in QA process of SDLC. RPA on the other hand is a purely business-end application that help in performing various repetitive tasks that are typically may not even be decision driven.
Basically, anything that human is doing on the computer that can be done with his/her eyes closed. Example is data scraping from a website and filling out an excel with it. Another use case is customer data validation between two s/w.
testing automation isnt interchangeable with RPA, its the same the other way around. now you maybe able to achieve automation using testing automation tools, but its the wrong tool set. i can break a huge ice block with knife AND an ice-pick, which is the right tool for the job?
回答5:
Let’s first understand Test Automation Tools – The basic objective of Test Automation tools to validate the existing features and ensure quality, feature is intact and feature is at per defined requirement. The test automation tools help to create a regression suite (a bunch of test cases) that may be used to run against every build to ensure integrity of the code / feature.
And, last but not the least, test automation tools help to expedite the deliverable by integrating with DevOps Pipeline.
Now understand - Robotic Process Automation (RPA) – RPA tools are inherently grown up from Test automation tools but today it has shaped up as Digital workforce, it’s helping the organization to streamline their operation by automating recurring, repetitive and rule based activities in nature. It’s helping organization to delegate human driven repetitive activities to RPA Bots and freed up human bandwidth to focus on more strategic work.
Where it’s different –
- Test automation tools only focus on automating development work and focusing on ensuring the integrity of feature as a test suite, however RPA automates operational activities and acts lust like human.
- Test automation tools focus is very specific to application types. Like Selenium works for Web, AutoIt works for Windows, and lot more other tools for different types of applications. However, RPA acts like a platform and offers seamless platform for integrating and automating any kind of applications.
- Test automation tools are very much micro focused on just feature automation and testing, rather RPA tools are focused towards operational efficiency.
- Test automation tools don’t have capability to integrate with AI and Analytics, however RPA tools has seamless integration with AI and Analytics.
- Test automation learning is very specific to testing professionals, however, RPA being code neutral (it’s drag and drop), any one even having non coding background may learn and excel in their career.
- Last but not the least, RPA and AI is the emergent technology and has huge market potential by 2025, even the testing people may build their career in RPA.
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References :
回答6:
Testing Tool
• Traditional automation tool are designed specifically for testing only for GUI or Web based systems.
• Test Automation is applied only to the product and its features.
• Test automation works across different environments, i.e., QA, UAT, Prod, etc
• Test Automation is limited to QA
• Developing all advance features will depend on testing tool. And not sure even if it will support.
• In traditional automation we cannot automate any application until we do not have instance of that application (which need to automate). E.g. web applications URL, or Windows application exe path required for automation.
RPA Tools
• RPA tools can easily automate processes spanning across interfaces like legacy systems, virtual machines, both desktop & web based applications, backend process etc.
• RPA could be applied to other business processes, with or without user interface. • RPA meant to runs only in the production environment.
• RPA systems could be used by all individuals across the firm in terms of creation and usage.
• Most of these tools have the ready to use features that speeds up process design (through ready process templates) and implementation into the RPA container.
• RPA tool can automate applications even if you don’t have direct access of the application (URL/EXE).Assume you need to automate some applications which are installed on virtual machine and its URL/EXE cannot access from outside
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来源：https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43481233/whats-the-technical-difference-between-robotic-process-automation-rpa-and-tes