Create an automation with Now Assist

Create an automation from text instructions and preview options by using the Now Assist for RPA Hub application.

Before you begin

Set up the RPA Desktop Design Studio application and add the ServiceNow instance details. For more information, see Set up RPA Desktop Design Studio.

To access the Now Assist for RPA Hub feature in RPA Desktop Design Studio, perform the following steps:

• Install the Now Assist for RPA Hub application to add the generative AI capability. For more information, see Configure Now Assist for RPA Hub.
• Turn on the RPA bot generation skill to use the generative AI capability. For more information, see Turn on the RPA bot generation skill.
• After activating the RPA bot generation skill, relaunch the RPA Desktop Design Studio application to apply the modified settings.

If you skip these steps, the Now Assist for RPA Hub feature doesn’t appear in RPA Desktop Design Studio.

Familiarize yourself with the RPA bot generation skill concepts. For more information, see Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bot generation.

Role required: sn_rpa_fdn.rpa_developer or sn_rpa_fdn.rpa_admin

About this task

To create an automation project manually, see Create an automation project manually.

Procedure

1. On the RPA Desktop Design Studio home page, select Create Automation.
2. In the Build an automation window, select the Build with Now Assist option.

   Figure 1. Build with Now Assist

   

3. Select Next.
4. In the Build with Now Assist window, enter the Now Assist instructions.

   The instruction text is used by the RPA bot generation skill to create your automation. Use short, direct, and clear sentences to describe the expected actions. Be specific and provide detailed descriptions of the automation logic. Avoid jargon and abbreviations.

   The following example shows that the Now Assist instructions are provided so that you can build an automation to get PDF files from a location and then merge all PDF documents into a single PDF document.

   Figure 2. Build with Now Assist window

   

   An example instruction is displayed for your reference.

   Note:

   For more information on example instructions and general guidelines for writing Now Assist instructions, see Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bot generation. For more information about the limitations of the RPA bot generation skill, see Limitations of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bot generation skill.

5. Select Generate preview.
6. Optional: In the Build with Now Assist window, regenerate a preview, clear the workflow, stop creating an automation, or select next if you like the automation preview.
   Note:

   You can’t make any changes In the Automation preview screen because it’s read-only. You can maximize it and use the scroll options to view the entire generated automation workflow.

   Figure 3. Build with Now Assist options

   

   Option	Procedure
   Regenerate preview	If the generated automation preview doesn’t meet your needs, you can update the Now Assist instructions, and select Regenerate preview. Each time you build or rebuild an automation, the operation counts as an assist tracked by your Now Assist subscription. To track your Now Assist usage, see Monitoring Now Assist usage in Subscription Management.
   Clear	If you want to clear the workflow that was created by Now Assist and the instruction in Now Assist, select Clear and then select Yes in the Confirm clear automation window.
   Cancel	If you want to stop creating an automation and return to the RPA Desktop Design Studio home page, select Cancel. In the Confirm cancel window, select Yes to return to the previous screen. The generated automation workflows, if any, aren’t saved.
   Next	If the automation preview looks good, select Next.

7. In the Create new automation window, fill in the fields.

   Figure 4. Create new automation window

   

   Note:

   If your instruction generates a workflow with components that aren’t compatible with the selected automation type, those components show up as unknown in the generated workflow. For example, if your workflow includes a GracefulStop component and you select Attended Automation, the GracefulStop component appears as unknown because it’s not supported in the attended automations.

   Table 1. Create an automation form

   Field	Description
   Select an automation type	Type of automation. Select either Unattended Automation or Attended Automation. An unattended automation doesn’t require human supervision and can be used for highly repetitive tasks. For example, an unattended robot can seamlessly perform copy and paste operations into a Microsoft Excel file, streamlining data entry in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system without any human input. An attended automation requires human supervision. For example, in a contact center, robots are used as user assistants. They’re installed on an operator’s workstation and are triggered by human operators on demand.
   Name	Name of the unattended or attended automation project.
   Description	Description of the unattended or attended automation project.
   Location	Location of the automation project or the default location.

8. Select Save and Edit.
   Important:

   The automation is generated by Now Assist. Be sure to check it for accuracy and make any edits before running.

   Close the displayed message for a clearer view.

   Figure 5. Automation workflow on the design surface

   

Result

The automation flow is launched on the design surface and it’s added as a Main activity in Activities.