The Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities in Desktop flows have been a subject of major interest among many aspiring and practicing Microsoft Power Automate RPA Developers. This is especially for those preparing for PL-500 Microsoft Power Automate RPA Developer’s exam. OCR capabilities can significantly enhance automation tasks by enabling the data to be pulled directly from native interfaces or screen scraping. In the present scenario, computers are adept at understanding typed or written text input and can use OCR to accurately scan and convert physical documents into digitized versions.
Let’s delve deeper into the specifics of OCR in Desktop flows and its applications in Microsoft Power Automate.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in Desktop Flows
Microsoft Power Automate’s desktop flows utilize the OCR system to extract readable text from images or documents where text cannot be easily copied or selected. Power Automate has integrated with cloud-based and on-premises OCR services, presenting in-app OCR actions that users can execute.
Use Case of OCR in Desktop Flows
Imagine possessing a pile of physical invoices that need recording in a digital format. Manual data entry is prone to human errors and time-consuming. Thus, automation with OCR would be a great tool to employ. Your workflow could look like this:
- Scan the invoices into digital format (like .pdf or .jpeg).
- Use OCR capabilities in desktop flows to read the invoices.
- Graph the relevant pieces of data, such as the Invoice ID or Total Amount.
- Insert the data into your preferred processing system—like an Excel worksheet or SharePoint List.
Since every RPA Developer should know the practical usage of OCR, let’s see how to create a basic OCR operation in Power Automate Desktop flow.
Creating OCR operation in Desktop flow
Once the Power Automate Desktop flow is initiated, follow the steps below:
- Insert a “Launch new Chrome” action.
- Use the “Get text using OCR” action. This will engage OCR on a determined boundary on screen.
- In the boundary’s settings, set the target to your document where the OCR is needed.
- Determine the coordinates for the boundary. The OCR will only work within this boundary.
Extendable OCR Features
OCR can go beyond reading text from images. It can recognize handwriting, character fonts, and even specific layouts. For example, it can determine column headers in a multi-column invoice or understand the chart structure of an infographic.
Different languages or scripts can also be identified. Power Automate supports multiple languages and layouts, like Latin-based scripts (English, French, etc.), Cyrillic script (Russian), and East Asian scripts.
OCR Accuracy
OCR accuracy greatly depends on the quality of the input image/document and the complexity of the content. Still, advanced AI and machine learning algorithms have allowed Power Automate’s OCR to achieve high accuracy rates. For precise results, ensure the document/image is of high quality and properly oriented.
OCR and Security
When using OCR for sensitive data, like confidential documents, security is crucial. Power Automate employs high standards of security and compliance, ensuring that your data is safe and encrypted throughout the process.
To conclude, OCR capabilities in desktop flows are powerful tools in a Microsoft Power Automate RPA Developer’s arsenal. By leveraging this feature, you can significantly improve your data management and processing efficiency – a critical aspect of the PL-500 exam. Invest in mastering OCR functionalities, and open doors to infinite possibilities in automation.
Practice Test
True or False: Optical Character Recognition (OCR) can be used in Microsoft Power Automate to convert scanned documents or photos into editable and searchable data.
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: True
Explanation: OCR is a technology that recognizes text within a digital image. It’s used to convert different types of documents including scanned paper documents, PDF files or images captured by a digital camera into editable and searchable data in Microsoft Power Automate.
Multiple Select: Which of the following are OCR capabilities in Microsoft Power Automate?
- a) Recognize paragraphs
- b) Recognize characters
- c) Recognize images
- d) Recognize tables
Answer: a, b, d
Explanation: OCR technology in Microsoft Power Automate recognizes paragraphs, characters and tables from different types of documents. It doesn’t recognize images.
True or False: In Microsoft Power Automate, OCR capabilities cannot be used for extracting text from images in Desktop Flows.
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: False
Explanation: In Microsoft Power Automate, OCR capabilities can indeed be used in Desktop Flows to extract text accurately from images.
Single Select: The OCR capabilities in Microsoft Power Automate are primarily used for:
- a) Converting text to speech
- b) Converting images to text
- c) Converting speech to text
- d) Converting text to images
Answer: b. Converting images to text
Explanation: OCR is a technology that recognizes text within a digital image. It’s primarily used to convert these forms of documents into editable and searchable data, hence option b is correct.
True or False: OCR capabilities in Microsoft Power Automate support more than 25 languages.
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: True
Explanation: Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in Microsoft Power Automate supports more than 25 languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and many more.
Single Select: OCR in Microsoft Power Automate can work with which of the following?
- a) Paper documents
- b) PDF files
- c) Photos of documents
- d) All of the above
Answer: d. All of the above
Explanation: OCR in Microsoft Power Automate works with scanned paper documents, PDF files and photos of documents converting them into editable and searchable data.
True or False: OCR in Microsoft Power Automate can ignore textual data in capital letters.
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: False
Explanation: OCR in Microsoft Power Automate does not ignore textual data in capital letters. It captures and recognizes all forms of text irrespective of their case.
Multiple Select: OCR capabilities in Microsoft Power Automate can be used in which of the following scenarios?
- a) Automating data entry tasks
- b) Converting digital images into textual data
- c) Translating one language into another
- d) Automating form filling tasks
Answer: a, b, d
Explanation: OCR capabilities can be utilized in Microsoft Power Automate for automating data entry tasks, converting digital images into textual data, and automating form filling tasks. Translation is not inherently a part of OCR capabilities.
True or False: OCR capabilities in Microsoft Power Automate can convert handwritten text into digital text.
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: True
Explanation: OCR capabilities in Microsoft Power Automate can accurately recognize and convert handwritten text into digital text.
True or False: OCR capabilities in Microsoft Power Automate are only available in the desktop version.
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: False
Explanation: In Microsoft Power Automate, OCR capabilities are available in both the desktop version and the online, or cloud, version.
Interview Questions
What is Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in the context of Microsoft Power Automate?
OCR is a technology used by Microsoft Power Automate to recognize and extract text from images or as part of Desktop Flows, enabling automation of processes based on textual content.
Can OCR technology be used in desktop flows in Microsoft Power Automate?
Yes, OCR technology can be leveraged in Microsoft Power Automate as part of desktop flows to extract text data from images or scanned documents.
How can OCR improve the efficiency of desktop flows in Microsoft Power Automate?
OCR can automate manual data entry tasks such as inputting data from a scanned document or image, significantly improving the overall efficiency of desktop flows.
What is an example of an OCR capability in Desktop Flows?
An example of an OCR capability in Desktop Flows includes extracting text from invoices or receipts for further processing or data entry.
What technology does Microsoft Power Automate use for OCR?
Microsoft Power Automate uses Azure Cognitive Services, specifically the Read API, for OCR capabilities.
Can OCR in Microsoft Power Automate recognize handwriting?
Yes, the OCR technology in Microsoft Power Automate can also recognize handwriting, though results may vary depending on the quality of the writing.
Is it possible to use OCR in Microsoft Power Automate to extract text from a PDF document?
Yes, OCR in Microsoft Power Automate can be used to extract text from a PDF document, allowing the automation of tasks that involve data from PDFs.
Can desktop flows perform OCR on documents in any language?
Microsoft Power Automate’s OCR capabilities are able to recognize text in several different languages, but the accuracy may depend on the particular language and text quality.
How can errors in OCR processing in Microsoft Power Automate be minimized?
To minimize errors in OCR processing, ensure the text to be recognized is clear, well-lit, and in focus. The OCR quality can be further improved through settings in Azure Cognitive Services.
What are the differences between the OCR action and other text recognition actions in Microsoft Power Automate?
The OCR action extracts text from images or scanned documents, while other text recognition actions extract text from other sources, such as PDF documents or text fields on webpages.
Is it possible to automate data extraction from images or scanned PDF documents in Microsoft Power Automate through OCR?
Yes, Microsoft Power Automate can use OCR to automate data extraction from images or scanned PDF documents.
Can OCR in Microsoft Power Automate recognize barcodes or QR codes?
No, OCR in Microsoft Power Automate is designed to recognize text, not barcodes or QR codes. These would require different recognition software.
How fast is OCR processing in Microsoft Power Automate?
The speed of OCR processing in Microsoft Power Automate can depend on a number of factors, including the size and complexity of the document. However, azure Read API which is used by Microsoft Power Automate is designed for efficient and speedy text recognition.
What happens if the OCR in Microsoft Power Automate cannot recognize the text in an image?
If the OCR cannot recognize the text in an image, it will not return any result. You could improve the recognition result by providing a clearer image or adjusting the settings in Azure Cognitive Services.
How can OCR in Microsoft Power Automate be used in a flow?
OCR can be included in a flow through an action. This action will extract the text from the specified image, allowing it to be used in subsequent actions or conditions within the flow.
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