REFERENCE
Automation Glossary
Key terms in RPA, desktop automation, and enterprise software explained.
Last updated: January 2026 | 28 terms
A
Accessibility APIs
Operating system interfaces that expose application UI elements to assistive technologies like screen readers. Mediar uses these APIs for reliable automation instead of brittle selectors or pixel-matching.
Accounts Payable Automation
Automating the process of processing vendor invoices, from receipt to payment. Includes PDF extraction, validation, and entry into ERP systems.
Attended Automation
Automation that runs on a user's workstation and may require human interaction. The user can trigger the automation and intervene when needed.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A structured way for applications to communicate. Web APIs only exist when vendors provide them. Mediar works with applications that lack APIs.
B
Bot
A software robot that performs automated tasks. In RPA context, bots execute workflows that mimic human actions on computer applications.
C
Core Banking System
Software that processes daily banking transactions and posts updates to accounts. Examples: Jack Henry, Fiserv, FIS. Often legacy systems requiring desktop automation.
Claims Processing
The workflow of receiving, validating, and adjudicating insurance claims. A common automation use case that can reduce processing time from 30 minutes to 2 minutes.
Computer Vision
AI technology that interprets visual information from screens. Some automation tools use this to identify UI elements, but it's less reliable than accessibility APIs.
D
Desktop Automation
Automation of tasks performed on desktop applications, including data entry, form filling, and cross-application workflows. Unlike browser automation, desktop automation works with native Windows applications.
Data Entry Automation
Automating the process of entering data from one source (PDFs, spreadsheets, emails) into target applications (ERPs, CRMs, databases). Eliminates manual typing and reduces errors.
E
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Integrated software systems that manage core business processes: finance, HR, manufacturing, supply chain. Examples: SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics.
EHR/EMR (Electronic Health Record / Electronic Medical Record)
Digital systems for storing patient health information. Examples: Epic, Cerner, eClinicalWorks. Often require desktop automation due to limited API access.
L
Legacy System
Older software applications still in use, often lacking modern APIs. Examples: mainframe terminals, older ERP versions, custom-built desktop applications. Mediar specializes in automating these systems.
O
OS-Level Automation
Automation that works at the operating system level, using native APIs rather than screen scraping or selectors. More reliable than vision-based or selector-based approaches because it reads what applications actually expose.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
Technology that converts images of text into machine-readable text. Used to extract data from scanned documents, but less reliable than native PDF text extraction.
Order-to-Cash
The business process from receiving a customer order to collecting payment. Automating this in SAP can save 4+ hours daily of manual data entry.
Orchestration
Coordinating and managing multiple automation workflows. Includes scheduling, monitoring, error handling, and scaling across an organization.
P
PDF Extraction
The process of extracting structured data from PDF documents. Can be template-based (for consistent formats) or AI-powered (for variable formats).
R
RPA (Robotic Process Automation)
Software technology that uses bots to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks typically performed by humans on computers. RPA bots interact with applications at the user interface level.
ROI (Return on Investment)
The financial benefit relative to cost. Automation ROI is measured in time saved, error reduction, and labor costs avoided.
S
Selectors
Identifiers used by traditional RPA tools to locate UI elements (XPath, CSS selectors). Selectors are brittle and often break when applications update their interface.
Self-Healing Automation
Automation that can adapt when UI elements change, without requiring manual updates. Mediar achieves this through OS-level APIs that identify elements by their semantic role rather than visual position.
SAP
Leading enterprise software company and ERP system. SAP GUI is the traditional desktop client, while SAP S/4HANA is the modern cloud-based version. Mediar automates both.
SAP GUI
The traditional desktop client for accessing SAP systems. Requires desktop automation approaches since it doesn't expose web APIs.
Screen Scraping
Extracting data by reading what's displayed on screen, often using pixel coordinates. Fragile approach that breaks with any UI changes.
T
TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
The full cost of a solution including licensing, implementation, maintenance, and staffing. Mediar's TCO is typically 80% lower than traditional RPA.
U
Unattended Automation
Automation that runs without human intervention, typically on dedicated servers. Processes run on schedules or triggers without user involvement.
W
Workflow
A sequence of automated steps that accomplish a business task. Workflows can include data extraction, transformation, validation, and entry across multiple applications.
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