Blue Prism Developer (AD01) Interview Questions

Blue Prism is a world-class provider of intelligent automation solutions that are used every day to deliver operational excellence to some of the world’s leading organizations. The Blue Prism Developer Exam (AD01) certification validates your proficiency in the innovative integrated applications designed to help automate and streamline business processes. 

As a Blue Prism Developer aspirant, you will face questions about the design and implementation of the various component. Since every component has its lifecycle so it is recommended to have prior knowledge of the tool and concept. Further, you must have expertise in all the sections related to BP including component lifecycle, ways of integration of components, etc.  To help you out, we have compiled below the list of top Blue Prism Developer (AD01) Interview Questions, which will help you make a strong impression on the interview panel. So, let’s get started!

1. What is Blue Prism’s Robotic Automation?

Blue Prism’s Robotic Automation is a tool or platform that operates other application software through the existing application user interface to deliver Unscripted Automation and scriptless process automation. If a capability can be created using the scripting language of an application Blue Prism will be able to drive it using Blue Prism’s Automation Platform.

2. What are the Features of RPA?

RPA or Robot Process Automation uses computer software and hardware to control the behavior of any process. These programs are made to document the repetitive tasks performed by an employee. Advanced IT skills are required to use this application in contrast to other software. It can be used on almost all platforms and is incredibly efficient when compared to the most advanced human-controlled software.

3. What systems can Blue Prism robotically integrate?

Blue Prism’s Application integration capabilities have been developed to cater to all types of systems, whether they are legacy or Data Centre based or even newer technologies like Java, Windows, Web, Green Screen/Mainframe, and even Citrix. The main benefit observed as a result of these capabilities is that customers can design processes much quicker than in the past. These new processes can be easily implemented, tested, and rolled out resulting in more efficient business operations.

4. Is Robotic Automation like screen scraping or macros?

Clerical Robotic Automation is a technology that can be referred to as the next generation offering over old technologies like screen scraping or macros. The major differences are:

• Firstly, with robotic process automation technology, any applications that can be used by a person can be used by a robot. Regardless it is a mainframe, legacy, bespoke application, web service enabled or even any closed 3rd party API hosted service
• Robotic automation is similar in practice to classic screen scraping or macros. However, the key difference is that it allows you to capture and reuse your past actions and subsequently execute them by a robot (rather than a human)

5. What hardware infrastructure would you recommend for running Blue Prism’s Robotic Automation Platform?

Blue Prism is designed to be fast, scalable, and flexible. You can automate your IT processes from end to end. Whether you need to run compliance checks or complex calculations, manage large data sets or portals for benchmarking and monitoring, or develop reporting for head office – Blue Prism does it all.

6. What is a Process Studio?

The Blue Prism Process Studio is a modeling environment used to design and integrate Automation Studio processes into the system. Processes are created in Process Studio as a series of flow diagram symbols that communicate automation process information from one object to another (menu options are good examples of this type of process). 

7. Can you distinguish between a thin client and a thick client?

Thin clients display graphical and/or text-based content, but do not provide the computational or data storage capabilities of a thick client. Examples of thin clients are Citrix or virtual environments, or any application where the information is stored on a remote server. Thick clients, also referred to as rich clients, contain the computational and data storage capabilities required to execute applications locally with little or no data transmission to a server. Again, this is just a basic example since there are many in-between cases.

8. Can you elaborate on the various stages of the RPA life cycle?

RPA life cycle stages: 

1. Discovery: Project inception, IT value proposition, and how it will deliver system and process enhancements, plan, and budget development. 
2. Solution Design: Build out of the RPA solution that includes solution design and development, select technology, specific bots to create, automation framework design, and development. 
3. Development – This is the phase where bots are created and put to test within a sandboxed environment. The system is monitored for issues as they arise to ensure that the project stays on track. 
4. UAT – User acceptance tests are performed by business users to ensure all requirements are met by definition; this phase also ensures that Business Processes work as designed with no gaps or errors that need fixing in the current or near future. 
5. Run the Bots– During this phase, the developed and fully tested bots are installed into a real environment where they impact live processes; this monitoring phase is just as critical as prior phases in ensuring the bot performs well under real-world conditions on live systems. 
6. Development and Maintenance – During this phase planned enhancements are made to improve upon current functions; older/outdated functions are enhanced, replaced, or removed as needed per company guidelines or original specifications set by management.

9. List different types of security in Blue Prism

There are three different types of security in Blue Prism. 

• Firstly, User which is for new user accounts. 
• Secondly, Credential provides a way of storing secrets. 
• Finally, the Option is for setting password rules.

10. Can you elaborate on the use of the queue manager?

Blue Prism has a feature called Queue Manager, which is used to manage the items which are in a queue. This queue manager may disrupt, in case of errors due to intermittent connectivity, but only the affected process is affected while the other processes and offerings continue without affecting them.

11. What is Object Studio?

Object Studio extends the power of the Blue Prism application development and runtime environment. It allows business users or IT professionals to construct reusable Blue Prism Objects as the building blocks for the business process by modeling current applications and training Blue Prism as a robotic user.

12. Why is initialize and clean up in object studio a necessity?

The object Initialize/clean up conditions can be used to execute code (standard or custom) at the beginning and end of an object’s lifetime. The Initialize condition is executed upon the object’s creation, immediately after its properties have been initialized. The Cleanup condition is executed upon the object’s destruction, just before its termination. Both conditions must be paired with another one as they cannot be called using any action. 

13. Can you tell us about the two ways of exposing data items?

Session variables and environment variables are two ways to expose data items. The session variable expires when the user closes the browser, environment variables persist until the computer is turned off.

14. What is the environment variable?

The environment variable is a kind of exposure in data items wherein the value of the data item is easily changed to simulate another processor object. An environment variable is available in the system tab under process.

15. What is the session variable?

The session variable means “the element in data item value can be changed during runtime. When the process is running, it can be changed through the control room “.

16. What are the disadvantages of surface automation?

The disadvantages of surface automation are:

• This process refers to the screen coordinates to click on objects. Thus, it has a reduced accuracy.
• Changes of global key passing the values to the wrong application are quite if the application isn’t active. 

17. What are Multiple-Part Processes?

When you are working on multiple parts at the same time, use the Multiple-Part Work Process option. This option also uses work items as tasks but uses a parent-child relationship between individual work items and the main request. Usually, when you link two or more tasks to a new request, they are considered descendants. In this scenario, you are making one parent task with all subtasks. In addition to the regular work item requests, a parent task is required to create and manage subtasks properly in this process type.

18. What is the meaning of the recovery stage in Blue Prism?

The recovery stage catches an exception, while the control stage recovers from it. A process can have more than one recovery stage, but only one control stage. In the Control State, all the changes to the data by a process instance are rolled back by using the rollback method of the base Transaction Object, or each Business Object.

19. What is exception handling in Blue Prism?

Exception handling is an important component of any blue prism solution. One such exception is an issue occurring while a process or object is being executed. When such mistakes happen in the blue prism, it generates exceptions. These are dealt with in several ways to ensure continuity of the application and data processing.

20. What are the benefits of RPA?

The benefits of Robotic Process Automation are that it offers greater speed, accuracy, and scalability than any human process automation. It is a cost-effective solution as it creates a quick ROI or Returns on Investment by automating repetitive back-office tasks and freeing up the human workforce to be used in higher-value areas.

21. Can you define process template in Blue Prism?

Blue Prism process templates are used as the basis for the processes in your system. They can be used to create any shape of the process by varying attributes such as flow charts, data tables, and even forms and transitions. These templates are easy to configure and support across all the processes on your system.

22. How can you set priority for the work queue?

The priority for the work queue is assigned when an item is initially being added to the queue, using queue action. 

23. How would you explain the use of Mouse Click and Global Send Keys?

Global send keys are used to send a global command to applications without changing the active operation context. Both Global mouse click and Global Send Keys are special case operations that are handled by the HAD.

24. Can you tell me about the wildcard match-type concept?

Wildcard match type is a concept provided by Blue Prism, which enables us to use the value of an attribute from the diagram to fill a parameter available in a wrapper rather than filling this parameter from an item from the application modeler

25. How would you describe a Tag?

The keyword of the term that is assigned to work queue items is called Tag.

26. What are connectors in Blue Prism?

The following connectors are present in Blue Prism:

• Mainframe Connector
• HTML Connector
• Windows Connector
• Citrix Connector

27. Can you elaborate on the ‘attach’ option in Blue Prism?

The Attached option available in Blue Prism is a unique feature that attaches or keeps the currently executed program running during an operation.

28. What do you know about SDD?

SDD (Solution Design Document) is a blueprint of your automation process, including all systems and processes. PDD (Process definition document) is the unit of work that has to be automated for a specific solution (e.g. Contact Center Solution).

29. How would you define FRQ?

FRQ stands for Function Runtime Questionnaire. It is the technique of building a complete and detailed list of requirements for a particular product, system, or application. Requirements can be any facet that you need or would like to have in your product or system.

30. What do you mean by startup parameters or input parameters?

The parameters that can be passed ahead of the execution of the process from the control room are called the Startup or Input parameters.