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The 10 most frequently asked questions around Oracle RPA

Today’s post will addresses a common question about how to use Oracle RPA and expands on other valuable questions /use cases for Oracle’s integrated RPA capabilities.

Let’s get started !

Q1. Can Oracle RPA be used to enter Excel data into an application ?

Oracle RPA can absolutely be used to enter data into a web or desktop application , just like human would. Same for reading and processing Excel files.

Here’s how you’d typically architect it:

1. Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) reads and processes the Excel file using its native file and data transformation capabilities.
2. For each row (or logical record), OIC invokes the RPA bot.
3. The RPA bot opens the application, logs in, navigates, and inputs the data , just like a human operator would.

This creates a clean separation of concerns:

• OIC handles file parsing and business logic
•  RPA handles UI-based data entry for systems that don’t expose APIs

Q2. Can Oracle RPA be used with non-Oracle SaaS environments and third-party UI applications?

A2. Possible but with some current limitations. Oracle RPA is designed to work with browser-based applications, regardless of whether they’re Oracle-branded or third-party platforms.

This means you can build robots to interact with:

• Oracle Fusion apps ( ERP, HCM, SCM, etc.)
• Third-party SaaS apps like Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow, or any other web-based tool
• Internal custom web applications

As long as the user interface is delivered through a standard browser, Oracle RPA can record, navigate, and automate interactions just like a human would.

Current Limitation: Desktop and Non-Browser UIs

At this stage, Oracle RPA does not support non-browser-based client applications, such as:

• Native Windows applications
• Terminal/green screen interfaces
• Citrix-hosted apps
• Java Swing or WPF-based GUIs

However, Oracle is actively exploring support for these types of interfaces, and enhancements in this area may begin rolling out later this year.

Q3. Why the Focus on Browser-Based Automation?

Browser-based UIs are the most common front-end for modern SaaS platforms, making them a logical starting point for Oracle’s RPA rollout.

They also offer the compatibility across operating systems, which helps keep deployments scalable within Oracle Integration Cloud Projects.

By targeting this category first, Oracle ensures strong use cases like:

• Performing validations or lookups in browser-only tools
• Automating data entry across web apps
• Uploading/downloading reports from third-party portals

Q4. What kinds of login processes can Oracle RPA handle and how does it work with multi-factor authentication (MFA)? »

A4. Oracle RPA robots can simulate human behavior in browser-based login forms. If your application’s login process involves a standard username and password screen, the robot can:

• Navigate to the login page
• Enter credentials
• Click the login button
• Proceed with the next steps in the UI automation

This makes Oracle RPA effective for automating access to many SaaS apps and internal web portals.

However , MFA presents a unique challenge for RPA, especially as more platforms move toward biometric-based verification, such as:

• Face recognition
• Retina or iris scanning
• Fingerprint scanning

Clearly, robots don’t have eyes, faces, or fingerprints, which makes such authentication methods incompatible with UI automation tools.

Even traditional MFA using SMS codes, authenticator apps, or security tokens can be problematic unless a manual or system-integrated bypass is in place.

Recommended Workaround: RPA Service Accounts:

In most enterprise use cases, the recommended pattern is to:

• Create dedicated “robot” user accounts with standard credentials
• Bypass MFA for these accounts in a secure and compliant way
• Apply least privilege access controls to limit what the robot can do

This avoids the complications of MFA while still allowing secure login automation. Many organizations already use this approach for integrations, and it works well for RPA too.

Q5. Can we train Oracle RPA robots to handle negative cases , like when a purchase order (PO) is not found? »

A5. Oracle RPA absolutely supports handling negative use cases. Just like a human user, robots can:

• Search for a record (like a PO)
• Recognize when the item is not found
• Return a structured response (“PO Not Found” for example ) back to the integration flow

In these cases, UI automation via a robot becomes your only option to interact with the application.

As Best Practice: Let Integration Handle the Logic

While robots can be trained to handle decision logic, Oracle recommends using them primarily for:

• UI interaction
• Data retrieval or upload in systems that don’t offer APIs

Once the robot collects the data (positive or negative), it’s best to pass that response back to Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC), which is more suited for:

• Business rule processing
• Complex condition checks
• Routing and exception handling

This separation of concerns helps keep robots lean, maintainable, and easier to troubleshoot.

Also Oracle RPA is most powerful when used in combination with Oracle Integration, in hybrid automation flows. For example:

• Scenario A: Robot checks if a PO exists → returns status to OIC → OIC creates invoice if PO is valid
• Scenario B: OIC pre-processes data → passes it to the robot → robot logs into a portal and uploads it

This hybrid model maximizes automation capabilities across both API-driven and UI-only environments, while keeping your business logic centralized and scalable.

Q6. How We’re Addressing Robot Fragility ?

A6. One of the most common concerns from customers exploring RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is the lack of robustness in robots , a challenge not unique to Oracle, but rather inherent to the RPA technology model across all platforms.

The Problem: Fragile Robots

RPA bots interact with applications by mimicking user behavior through the UI. That means:

• A small change in HTML or page layout can break your robot
• Manual targeting of UI elements can be brittle and time-consuming to fix
• Maintenance becomes a bottleneck when robots are used at scale

Reason for Oracle built several powerful features into Oracle RPA to mitigate the fragility of traditional robots and make them easier to maintain and scale:

– Resilient Targeting Mechanisms

Focus on finding UI elements (targets) that are the most stable. This is the first line of defense against breakage.

– Advanced Targeting Options

For more complex applications, developers have access to fine-grained control over how elements are located and interacted with. This gives you flexibility to adapt targeting to specific scenarios.

– Global Targeting with Human-Readable Validation

Use centralized global targets:

• All usages of a UI element are defined once
• When that element changes, you fix it in one place, and the fix propagates everywhere
• Validation messages are human-readable, so you know exactly what broke and why

Recommendation: Because robots will always have some fragility, Oracle recommends using RPA as part of a hybrid architecture, where:

• Robots handle UI automation, especially when no API is available
• Oracle Integration handles business logic, orchestration, and data processing

This strategy gives you the best of both worlds , flexibility to interact with legacy or API-less applications, while maintaining resilience and business rule control in a centralized, scalable platform.

Q7. Can Oracle RPA Robots Wait for UI Elements to Appear?

A7. Yes, Oracle RPA provides powerful built-in element validation capabilities , crucial for making robots more resilient and preventing premature actions during UI automation.

There are two main ways to add these validations:

1. Using the Low-Code Canvas:
   You can manually define wait conditions or element presence checks via intuitive activities in the low-code designer.
2. During Recording:
   When using Oracle’s built-in recorder, the platform automatically adds smart validations. For example:
   • Waiting for a button to become visible and enabled before clicking it
   • Ensuring a page has fully loaded before proceeding

 You can fine-tune these validations during the recording process itself , reducing the need to manually fix logic after the fact.

Q8. Where is Oracle RPA available?

A8. As of the latest updates:

• Oracle RPA is already available in 14+ regions
• More non-government cloud regions are being added weekly
• Government cloud support is not yet available, but is on the roadmap

Tip: If you’re in a region where robots haven’t shown up yet, let Oracle know , they’re prioritizing based on customer need.

Q09. Can a Robot Call an OIC Integration?

Oracle RPA cannot directly call an OIC integration. Instead, Oracle promotes a hybrid model where robots are strictly used to interact with user interfaces, while all logic and system-level integrations are handled by Oracle Integration itself.

Q10. How to check availability of RPA within your instance ?

A10. Open a project in Oracle Integration Cloud Gen 3. If robots are supported in your region, you’ll see them listed as a component alongside Integrations, B2B, Healthcare, and more.

That was a summary of the 10 most frequently asked questions around Oracle RPA and its role within the automation journey.

I hope this overview helps guide your reflections on how RPA can support your organization

Thanks for reading !