PL-900 - Describe Microsoft Power Automate - Section 4.2

Describe desktop flows and robotic process automation for automating legacy and UI-based tasks.

Describe Power Automate Desktop as the robotic process automation tool that uses the desktop flow recorder to automate repetitive UI-based and legacy tasks. Distinguish between attended RPA, which requires a user present, and unattended RPA, which runs without human interaction, and recognise how process advisor identifies automation candidates.

Power Automate Desktopattended and unattended RPAdesktop flow recorderUI automationprocess advisor

Practice question for this objective

Free sampleDescribe Microsoft Power Automatemedium

An accounts clerk at a logistics firm logs in to a legacy terminal-emulator application every morning and manually keys invoice totals into an Excel spreadsheet. The application has no connector and exposes no API. Which type of Power Automate flow is designed to automate this work by interacting with the application's user-interface elements?

  • AA cloud flow, because cloud flows are the option that runs automatically, instantly, or on a schedule
  • BA desktop flow, because desktop flows automate web or desktop tasks by using on-screen UI elements Correct
  • CA generative action, because the maker states only the intent and the AI selects the steps to run
  • DA scheduled cloud flow, because keying data each morning is a recurring time-based job
Desktop flows are the Power Automate type for screen-level automation of web, desktop, and legacy applications that have no connector or API. The grounding states desktop flows automate tasks on the web or the desktop, including legacy applications such as terminal emulators and Excel files, and can interact with the machine using application UI elements, images, or coordinates.

Why A is wrong: Cloud flows are real and do run automatically, instantly, or via a schedule, but they reach systems through connectors. A legacy terminal emulator with no connector or API is exactly the case desktop flows exist for, so a cloud flow is the wrong fit.

Why B is correct: Correct. The grounding states desktop flows automate tasks on the web or the desktop, including legacy applications such as terminal emulators and Excel files, and can interact with the machine using application UI elements, images, or coordinates.

Why C is wrong: Generative actions are a real (preview) flow type where you specify intent and AI chooses the actions, but they do not provide the UI-element automation against a connector-less terminal emulator that this task needs.

Why D is wrong: A scheduled cloud flow is a genuine cloud-flow pattern for time-based runs, but scheduling does not give it the ability to drive a legacy terminal emulator's screen; that screen-level automation is a desktop-flow capability.

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