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Appian RPA customers can initiate robotic tasks in their Appian process models. The Execute Robotic Task smart service streamlines the integration and executes the robotic task synchronously in the context of the overall process model. Synchronous execution is useful if you want to return data from the robotic task execution and use it in subsequent nodes in the same process model. When the robotic task is executed asynchronously, the process model moves to the next node whether or not the robotic task is complete, and the results aren't automatically returned.
Tip: A new version of the Execute Robotic Task smart service was made available in the Appian 24.1 release. This version of the smart service lets you configure robotic tasks directly in the process node, eliminating the need for connected systems or integration rules.
When the smart service is called, the process compares the permissions required for the robotic task with the permissions granted to the user initiating the process. You do not need to configure additional permissions for this smart service to execute.
This section contains tab configuration details specific to the Execute Robotic Task smart service. For more information about common configurations see the Process Node Properties page.
This Setup tab is used to pre-configure the Configure Execute Robotic Task smart service with certain values and parameters. The fields you configure on this tab impact what you see on the Data tab.
In this field, you can select a robotic task to run. You have the option to find and choose a task by directly searching for robotic tasks. The search results only include robotic task design objects for which you have, at a minimum, viewer permissions. Map the rule inputs/outputs on the Data tab.
This field gives you the option to choose whether the robotic task should be executed on the next available robot or by a specific robot that you select. Regardless of the option you select, ensure the robot is part of a robot pool.
You can configure the robotic task's retry behavior if it fails the first time it executes. The smart service automatically retries when the robotic task runs into an unexpected failure during the previous execution.
Use the dropdown menu to select the number of retry attempts, up to 5.
When you select a robotic task, the robotic task's parameterized variables automatically appear as node inputs. If you modify the robotic task or update its parameterized variables outside of the Process Modeler, you need to first navigate to the Setup tab. This action ensures your changes are synchronized with the robotic task inputs on the Data tab.
If you choose the Execute on a specific robot option on the Setup tab, the Preferred Robot input field automatically displays. Enter the robot's identifier in the Value field. The identifier can be found on the robot's properties. For advanced settings, like setting the time when the robotic task should run, use the expression editor next to the Value field.
Output | Data Type | Multiple | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Success | Boolean | No | Whether the robotic task started successfully or not. |
ExecutionId | Text | No | Id of the robotic task execution displayed in the Appian RPA Console. |
Status | Text | No | If the robotic task is started successfully, returns one of the following values: ENQUEUED, RUNNING, SUCCESS, FAILURE, ABORTED. If the status is anything other than SUCCESS or FAILURE, variables may include partial results. |
Variables | Map | No | Variables configured by the developer in the robotic task configuration. |
Retries | Integer | No | The number of time the robotic task had to retry before successfully executing. |
FailureSection | Text | No | If the robotic task execution fails, the name of the workflow section where the failure occurred. Returns null if the execution finished successfully. |
Smart Service Status | Description | Robotic Task Status |
---|---|---|
PENDING | The execution has not finished, and results are still pending. | ENQUEUED or RUNNING |
DONE | The execution is done, and the results are available. | SUCCESS, FAILURE, or ABORTED |
FAILED | The execution is done, but resulted in an error. The node is marked with an error. | N/A |
Execute Robotic Task Smart Service