Sometimes referred to as software robotics, robotic process automation (RPA) is the technology some organizations use to automate business processes. ”Robotics” refers to metaphorical software robots, or genuine artificial intelligence (AI).
Most organizations retain the most valuable asset, their business data, on the mainframe (80 percent of the world’s corporate data resides on mainframes). Using RPA initiatives, enterprises can leverage this unique information to increase productivity, reduce errors, and improve customer service. They use one of two methods to integrate RPA – either using web services or the more traditional Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), such as HLLAPI, or .NET.
There are many options for enabling the integration of mainframe-hosted data (often known as “3270/5250”, in reference to IBM model numbers) for enterprise RPA initiatives.
Service-enabling the mainframe (or host), is a scalable approach to RPA. It requires developing distinct procedures against host-based applications performing defined units of work as consumable web services for the RPA tool to call on as needed in an automated process.
The access standard for more than 30 years, IBM’s High Level Language Application Program Interface, or HLLAPI, is the traditional automation interface for mainframe green-screen data. In this scenario, the RPA tool accesses host data by leveraging HLLAPI through a terminal emulator and corresponding green screen. All RPA solutions support this standard interface for mainframe data access.
Micro Focus Host Connectivity solutions include this data via a desktop-based terminal emulator. For HLLAPI-savvy organizations, this can be a faster way to leverage mainframe data in an RPA-based automated process.