Partial fingerprint masking for pattern searching

A computer-implemented method for providing digital fingerprints for steps in a recording of user-initiated events with one or more application programs, at least a portion of the recording being used in by a robotic process automation system, the method comprising:

• identifying a step in the recording to be provided with a digital fingerprint, the step having a plurality of attributes associated therewith;
• determining a subset of the attributes associated with the step that are to be utilized in producing the digital fingerprint;
• encoding each of the attributes in the subset of the attributes
• determining at least a portion of one or more of the attributes in the subset of the attributes to be ignored;
• and
• generating a digital fingerprint for the step in the recording based on the encodings for the attributes in the subset of the attributes other than the at least a portion of one of the attributes in the subset of the attributes to be ignored.

A Robotic Process Automation (RPA) system, comprising:

• an RPA server configured to support sequence mining of a plurality of recordings to identify repeating sequences as candidates for creation of at least one software processing agent, the at least one software processing agent pertaining to a series of user-initiated events with one or more software programs operating on one or more computing devices, the RPA server comprising:
• a digital fingerprint subsystem configures to generate a digital fingerprint for a step of a selected recording of the plurality of recordings;
• a step matching subsystem configures to identify matching steps in different ones of the recordings based on the respective digital fingerprints;
• and
• a sequence mining subsystem configured to evaluate a plurality of the matching steps in the recordings to identify at least one repeating sequence,
• wherein the digital fingerprint subsystem is further configured to at least:
• determine a subset of attributes associated with the step that are to be utilized in generating the digital fingerprint;
• and
• generate the digital fingerprint for the step in the recording based on at least a plurality of the attributes in the subset of attributes, and
• wherein the digital fingerprint subsystem, the step matching subsystem or the sequence mining subsystem is further configured to at least:
• modify the digital fingerprint for the step in the recording to facilitate sequence mining by the sequence mining subsystem.

A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least computer program code tangibly stored therein for locating matching steps or sequences within recordings of user-initiated events with one or more application programs, the recordings being associated with a robotic process automation system, the computer readable medium comprising:

• computer program code for determining a subset of attributes associated with a given step in a sequence of steps that is to be located in one of more of the recordings that are to be utilized in generating the digital fingerprint;
• computer program code for generating the digital fingerprint for the given step in the sequence of steps based on the determined subset of attributes;
• computer program code for determining whether to attempt to locate the sequence of steps in the recordings;
• computer program code for modifying the digital fingerprint for the given step to alter the digital fingerprint such that a matching sequence with the recordings is easier to be found;
• and
• computer program code for attempting to locate the sequence of steps in the recordings if the computer program code for determining determines that it is to be attempted to locate the sequence of steps in the recordings, the attempt to locate being based on at least the modified digital fingerprint for the given step.