Processing structured data, like data typically found in a spreadsheet, is relatively easy to deal with because it's easy to find and understand each data component. Unstructured data, like email and chat text, invoices, purchase orders, or data from instrument sensors or IoT devices, is more complex, precisely because the data does not have a particular structure.
Processing unstructured data is definitely the realm of the big RPA tools, each of which provides intelligent document processing capabilities using machine learning and AI to analyze and extract data from unstructured documents.
UiPath's Document Understanding, Automation Anywhere with its IQ Bot, and Blue Prism Decipher all provide intelligent document processing solutions that handle unstructured documents.
Outside of the "big three" there are other RPA technology solutions you may want to look at. Kofax TotalAgility is what the vendor calls its "intelligent automation platform," which includes its intelligent data processing solution that can extract unstructured data. And WorkFusion promotes its "out-of-the-box machine learning models" which, it says can be quickly tuned in real-time through work on a few documents. Not to be left behind, Microsoft Power Automate announced a product update in June of 2022 to support unstructured document processing "in preview" with its AI Builder module.
Another route is to hire an RPA consultant to help you implement process automation for unstructured data.
The solution you choose will depend on budget, your internal resources and their experience (or lack of it) with RPA, and what kind of performance and scalability you need.
Find out what your peers are saying about UiPath, Microsoft, Automation Anywhere and others in Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Updated: October 2024.
What is RPA? Robotic process automation (RPA) is a software technology that enables enterprises to build, deploy, and manage a virtual workforce made up of software robots (“bots”) that emulate the actions of humans in interactions with software and digital systems.
Processing structured data, like data typically found in a spreadsheet, is relatively easy to deal with because it's easy to find and understand each data component. Unstructured data, like email and chat text, invoices, purchase orders, or data from instrument sensors or IoT devices, is more complex, precisely because the data does not have a particular structure.
Processing unstructured data is definitely the realm of the big RPA tools, each of which provides intelligent document processing capabilities using machine learning and AI to analyze and extract data from unstructured documents.
UiPath's Document Understanding, Automation Anywhere with its IQ Bot, and Blue Prism Decipher all provide intelligent document processing solutions that handle unstructured documents.
Outside of the "big three" there are other RPA technology solutions you may want to look at. Kofax TotalAgility is what the vendor calls its "intelligent automation platform," which includes its intelligent data processing solution that can extract unstructured data. And WorkFusion promotes its "out-of-the-box machine learning models" which, it says can be quickly tuned in real-time through work on a few documents. Not to be left behind, Microsoft Power Automate announced a product update in June of 2022 to support unstructured document processing "in preview" with its AI Builder module.
Another route is to hire an RPA consultant to help you implement process automation for unstructured data.
The solution you choose will depend on budget, your internal resources and their experience (or lack of it) with RPA, and what kind of performance and scalability you need.