DivinGlossary
Glossary
Automation without the jargon.
Terms you’ll hear when people talk about automation, explained simply.
- RPA (Robotic Process Automation)
- A software robot that works in applications like a person: clicks, types, copies and sends, by set rules.
- Software robot
- A program that performs a series of steps in other programs without human intervention.
- Attended bot
- A bot that runs on an employee’s computer and is started by them, as an assistant.
- Unattended bot
- A bot that runs on its own, on a server, on a schedule or on demand, with nobody at the computer.
- Power Automate
- Microsoft’s automation platform. The desktop part works with applications on a computer, the cloud part with online services.
- SAP GUI scripting
- A way for a bot to control SAP through its internal elements, more stably than recorded mouse clicks.
- API
- An agreed way for systems to exchange data. When a system has none, the bot works through the screen.
- IDP (Intelligent Document Processing)
- AI that reads documents (invoices, contracts, scans) and extracts data from them.
- OCR
- Recognising text from an image or scan. The basis for reading paper documents.
- Process
- A repeating series of steps with a clear start, end and rules, e.g. "supplier invoice entry".
- Exception
- A case that doesn’t follow the usual rules. A good bot recognises it and passes it to a person.
- Idempotency
- The ability of a bot to run several times without duplicates or damage.
- Log
- A record of everything the bot did. Used for control, audit and troubleshooting.
- Pilot
- A first, smaller project that proves automation works before a bigger investment.
- ROI (return on investment)
- The ratio of savings to automation cost. Shows how fast the bot pays off.
- FTE
- Full-time equivalent: one employee working full time, about 1,760 hours a year.
- SCADA
- A system for monitoring and controlling industrial plants, such as a wind farm or production line.
- E-invoicing system
- The national system through which electronic invoices are sent and received.
- Power BI
- Microsoft’s reporting and charting tool, which a bot can feed with data.
- Center of Excellence (CoE)
- A team or function that runs the automation programme and its standards.
Talk to us
What work does your team do only because someone has to?
Book 30 minutes. Show us the process and we’ll tell you whether it’s worth automating, how long it would take and how much time it gives back. You talk directly to the developer who builds the bot, not a salesperson.