Type Cache Indexing for Faster RPA Package Activity Discovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing RPA package management systems, such as NuGet Restoration, are slow and inefficient due to the need to query multiple services for dependency resolution, leading to bottlenecks in workflow design as designers cannot know available activities until installation is complete.
Innovation Solution
Implement a type cache service that proactively scans feeds for new activities, indexes them, and generates a searchable type cache, allowing activities to be discoverable before installation, and resolves dependencies using a best common denominator in the dependency graph.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If NuGet Restoration is used to manage dependencies and resolve packages, then dependency management is automated, but installation time increases and activities are not discoverable until installation is complete
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary scanning of package feeds and pre-generates type information before actual package installation. The type cache service proactively indexes activities and their metadata in advance, so when a designer needs to search for activities, the information is already available without waiting for NuGet Restoration to complete.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the type information and activity metadata from the package feeds separately from the actual package installation process. By taking out just the essential type data and caching it independently, the system enables activity discovery without requiring the full package installation to occur first.
2Reliability
If NuGet Restoration queries multiple services to construct dependency graph, then complete dependency resolution is achieved, but operation speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The type cache service performs preliminary queries to package feeds to gather type information, activity metadata, and dependency details before the actual installation process. This pre-caching of dependency information reduces the need for repeated service queries during installation, thereby maintaining complete dependency resolution while improving speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a cached copy of type information and dependency metadata from the package feeds. This copy contains sufficient information for activity discovery and basic dependency resolution, reducing the need to query the original services repeatedly and thereby improving operation speed while maintaining reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If full package installation is performed, then all activities and dependencies are available, but installation time and resource usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and caches only the essential type information, activity metadata, and dependency details from the full packages. This extracted type cache provides sufficient information for activity discovery and basic functionality without requiring the complete package installation, thereby reducing installation time while maintaining activity availability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of performing the complete package installation action, the system performs a partial action by caching only the necessary type information and metadata. This partial caching provides enough information for designers to discover and use activities without the overhead of installing the entire package, reducing time and resource usage.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one or more embodiments, a method executed by a type cache service implemented as a computer program within a computing environment is provided. The method includes scanning feeds publishing unpacked packages and automatically detecting new activities on the feeds. The method includes indexing the new activities and all previously detected activities according to type and generating a type cache for the unpacked packages according to the indexing of the new activities and all previously detected activities.