"Democratizing RPA with Power Automate Desktop" by Peter Krause is one of the first books on the market to delve into the realm of Power Automate Desktop, making it a welcome addition to the field. It surprised me to see that almost all books on the subject were written in Japanese - this one seems to be the first in English.
The book provides a thorough review of the available functions within the software, ensuring that readers gain a solid understanding of its capabilities. The book is fresh, covering even the latest features of Power
Automate Desktop, and reflecting the author's commitment to keeping the content current.
The book is particularly valuable for technology-focused individuals who are automating their daily work either for themselves or for a small group. It offers practical guidance and insights, empowering readers to streamline their tasks effectively. The detailed exploration of various functions equips readers with the knowledge they need to automate their workflows efficiently.
"Democratizing RPA with Power Automate Desktop" caters to two distinct target audiences with different automation needs. On one hand, there is a wide audience of tech-savvy PC users seeking to automate their Windows desktops for personal or small group productivity. On the other hand, there is a narrower group of enterprise professionals involved in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) at scale. It is important to note that the my perspective and expectations have been shaped by their regular interactions with the latter group.
While the book covers a wide range of essential topics, it falls short in certain areas. Notably, it lacks in-depth discussions on selectors, which are often the critical aspect of automating web applications reliably.
Additionally, the book does not extensively cover best practices for creating automations that can be maintained in the long run. Topics such as when to use subflows, comments, or reusable child flows are not thoroughly addressed. Incorporating these best practices would have enhanced the book's value, allowing readers to develop robust and sustainable automations.
There are a few aspects of the book that left me disappointed. The author takes an unconventional approach by starting with desktop automation instead of cloud-based automation, which I recommend as a first step. The book demonstrates without appropriate comments some questionable practices, such as automating Dynamics 365 through the web UI (in presence of a fully capable out-of-the-box connector), or utilizing desktop Microsoft Access as a database (in presence of many modern and cloud-based alternatives).
Furthermore, I feel that the author went only half-way with the promise of democratizing automation. It seems to be a deliberate choice that the content focuses on the most complex aspect of automation (RPA), where a market niche for such a book exists. However, the choice of technology is on its own potentially excluding an even wider user audience. I would recommend new readers to start with learning Power Automate (not Desktop) first, and then exploring Power Automate Desktop as an extension of their skills.
"Democratizing RPA with Power Automate Desktop" serves as a valuable resource for individuals already familiar with other vendor's RPA but looking to venture into Power Automate Desktop. It also caters to those well-versed in Power Automate's cloud-based features who wish to expand their automation skills to the desktop environment. The inclusion of cloud automation in Chapter 12 (last one), while informative, feels more like a compilation of step-by-step recipes rather than the author's original insights. Overall, the book provides a solid foundation for new users of Power Automate Desktop.
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