Queue implementation in RPA Hub

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Queue implementation in RPA Hub

    In RPA Hub, queues are essential for distributing workloads among multiple robots, allowing simultaneous processing of work items (WIs). A queue acts as a structured data repository that holds various work items containing transaction data, customer details, or document information. This queue mechanism orchestrates automated process execution, ensuring tasks are processed efficiently, accurately, and in the correct order. Queues are particularly useful for managing dynamic workloads where tasks arrive at varying times, such as processing emails, orders, or data entries.

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    Note that queues linked to published bot processes cannot be deleted, ensuring process integrity.

    Work Item Lifecycle

    Work items transition through various states during their lifecycle managed within the RPA Hub:

    • Creation: Work items are created either by upstream systems using the Add WorkItem to Queue flow action or by robots using CreateStringWorkItem or CreateJSONWorkItem components.
    • Picking: Robots use the PickWorkItem component to select a work item based on specified criteria, stamping the robot on the item to prevent others from picking it.
    • Processing: Robots update the work item during processing via the UpdateWorkItem component. The robot can release a partially processed work item to allow other robots to pick it, controlled by the ReleaseMode field.
    • Completion: After full processing, the work item is updated to complete, and the robot proceeds to pick the next item.

    This lifecycle enables efficient coordination and workload management across multiple robots.

    Practical Usage for ServiceNow Customers

    • Leverage queues to efficiently distribute automation tasks among multiple robots, improving throughput and reliability.
    • Use the work item lifecycle components to control task assignment, progress updates, and completion status programmatically.
    • Utilize release modes to balance workload dynamically, allowing partial processing handoffs between robots.
    • Maintain queue integrity by avoiding deletion of queues actively linked to published bot processes.

    Additional Capabilities

    RPA Hub supports auto-retry functionality for failed work items, enhancing automation resilience.

    ServiceNow customers can manage queues and assign bot processes directly through the RPA Hub interface, as well as monitor and handle individual work items efficiently.

    In RPA Hub, the queues are implemented to distribute the workload among various robots. Work Items (WI) within a queue are processed simultaneously by two or more robots.

    Queue implementation overview

    A queue is a repository that can hold a number of work items. Work items can store multiple types of data, such as transaction information, customer details, or information from a document.

    A queue refers to a structured data storage mechanism used to manage and control the distribution of tasks, work items, or cases to different robots for processing. RPA queues play a crucial role in orchestrating the execution of automated processes and ensuring that tasks are processed efficiently, accurately, and in the desired order.

    Queues facilitate task distribution, coordination, and efficient processing across multiple bots or processes. Queues are particularly useful in scenarios where automation needs to handle a dynamic workload with different tasks arriving at different times, such as processing incoming emails, customer orders, or data entries.

    In RPA Hub, you cannot delete a queue that is associated to a published bot process.

    Work item lifecycle

    The State transition of a work item guides you through the stages of its life cycle.
    1. Work items are created from upstream systems using the Add WorkItem to Queue flow action or by robots, using the CreateStringWorkItem or CreateJSONWorkItem component.
    2. Using the PickWorkItem component, robots pick a work item for processing.
    3. After a work item is picked, the robot is stamped on the work item.
      Note:
      No other robot can pick this work item.
    4. Work items are processed by the criteria that you specified. There are various conditions to determine which item must be picked and it varies for each automation. This criterion is the input for the PickWorkItem component.
    5. After a work item is picked, the robot updates it multiple times while processing it using the UpdateWorkItem component.

      This robot can also release this work item by partially processing it, so that other robots can pick it. This process is performed by the input in the ReleaseMode field, in the UpdateWorkItem component.

    6. After the robot completes the processing, it updates the work item to complete using the UpdateWorkItem component and picks the next work item that is Step 2.

    The following diagram shows the lifecycle of work items (WI) in RPA Hub application.

    Figure 1. Lifecycle of work items (WI) in RPA Hub