National Instruments SystemLink vs. SAP NetWeaver BPM vs. UiPath Automation Platform

There are definitely scenarios where NI SystemLink will be useful but just didn't work out well for us. I needed to be able to replace an EXE file on a computer with a new EXE to do the upgrades but I was not able to do that through SystemLink. You had to work with packages in order to perform this and I didn't want to revamp my distribution plan. We also didn't need to do any asset management or calibration documentation through SystemLink. I was excited about being able to view data from the test stations through a browser but our engineers need historical data available and everything resets to a live view when you click back to the UI.

Incentivized

It is well suited when we need to integrate business processes with SAP ERP and SAP CRM - the solution can be integrated with business rules/procedures defined in SAP ERP/CRM and NetWeaver can be used to monitor the rules and flag off exceptions. When there are multiple workflows running, it tends to slow down running of these processes. Also, it entirely depends on SAP portal for it to run efficiently.

Incentivized

UiPath Automation Platform is well-suited for automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks such as invoice processing, data entry, and report generation. By using UiPath Automation Platform, employees can focus on more strategic tasks, which leads to increased efficiency. Additionally, UiPath Automation Platform is highly effective at automating rule-based processes, such as financial processes like bank statement reconciliation, account payable, and account receivable processes that follow a set of predetermined rules.

• Setup
• User Interface
• LabVIEW Integration

Incentivized

• Virtual paper trail. Iterations of process and current documentation are all stored as "artifacts", leaving a great trail.
• Configuration of users. BPM somewhat magically determines which users will be impacted and automates rules.
• A pro (that is also a con) is the design interface. If you know what you are doing, it is incredibly powerful and malleable.

• UiPath is very simple to learn.
• Any type of application can be automated (Desktop Application, Web Application and also applications reachable only via remote technologies such as Citrix, Remote Desktop and so on).
• The writing of a process code takes place entirely through the use of objects. In the event that there were no objects capable of solving a particular problem, it is possible to use some languages of the .net platform such as: VB.net, C#.
• It is easy to scale the solution by adding more robots to run a process in case the solution requires more performance in the future.
• It can also be used by functional analysts to design the flow to be automated.
• An academy is available online where basic and advanced courses can be taken. It is also possible to take a completely free basic certification.

Incentivized

• Licensing
• Not able to see data from all test stations on one UI
• Lack of data history

Incentivized

• Live readings would be nice.
• Easier to maneuver
• Work with all systems with the press of one keystroke

Incentivized

• As I mentioned, Excel automation is not very effective, there are a number of packages to add, but there is nothing as smooth as a good macro.
• Working with selectors is certainly challenging and UiPath does a good job with that, but there is room for improvement since the interface could be smarter in selecting the right attributes and warn the user if something is not properly setup.

Incentivized

As a big fan of SAP in general, the BPM solution fits right in with all the other things SAP does well, and does it with incredible efficiency

This platform has so much potential and have been garnering a lot of attention by proving benefits in terms of saving operational and manpower costs. I am sure with minute efforts we were able to achieve our ROI and the same is the case with many of our customers whom we have been working around Digital Automation initiatives.

Incentivized

There are two main reasons with this rating 1. UiPath Automation Platform requires the old school type of Change Weather management, Which actually eats a lot of time to manage and roll out the recent changes. There is not something kind of CI/CD when you are developing the things With UiPath Automation Platform. 2. Very high development and maintenance cost, which actually decrease its usability.

Incentivized

Its a cloud based platform which is easily available and used

Incentivized

It has proved and provided good performance across platforms and technologies.

Incentivized

We have our own tech support for systems, I would say they probably could use more training on it, I don't really think it's anything regarding the SAP system, but more the knowledge they have on the system itself. It seems to take longer for them to fix any issues we may come across.

Incentivized

UiPath RPA has an exceptional studio interface. It has been a year and so since I am using UiPath RPA. Whether it is some my personal task to scrape information & links from the Journal or find a specific character string from multiple PDF collection using OCR, UiPath RPA has made its roots to our technological ecosystem

Incentivized

Video material supported by text. The training has evolved a lot in the past 3 years to become more attractive. Specific training tracks exist for the different roles in RPA development, where everyone is expected to learn basic development.

Incentivized

The implementation was quick and practical

Incentivized

I found the initial setup of NetWeaver is much simpler than other products especially in an SAP environment where we have SAP ERP/HRM/CRM as it can be well integrated with other SAP products. The only drawback is the need/dependency on SAP Portal. It is better suited in an environment where SAP ERP is running.

Incentivized

As compared to other products, we require programming knowledge and concepts to work but UiPath is for everyone. It provides us extensive event logging at various stages and effective exception handling for applications and business. It increases our agility and enhances the overall productivity further by using the source control SVC. The solution that we implemented is also very scalable in terms of incorporating new requirements.

The open source tools require lots of IT effort in order to set up and maintain over time. UiPath is like a complete package and customer service is also active in terms of solving issues arising while automating procession on a day to day basis.

It can be widely used across various departments regardless of platform the product,processes, use cases are build on.

Incentivized

• Availability to monitor multiple test stations remotely
• Was quick to integrate into existing LabVIEW codebase
• Ultimately did not justify the licensing cost for the benefit

Incentivized

• Helped us harness integrated benefit from having SAP ERP/CRM by leveraging NetWeaver to define business processes/rules and monitor exceptions
• Did not have any negative experience except for the fact that at times when multiple rules run, it can be somewhat slow

Incentivized

• We are well on our way to automating our expenses, saving so many hours for project managers and engagement managers.
• Proofs-of-concept excite our clients, though we are yet to make a sale on a project.
• UiPath specifically has incited interest with our apprentices and has led them to join the RPA team.

Incentivized