Maestro - Implementing a simple process

Overview

Getting started in Maestro can be as simple or as advanced as your use case requires. A simple process might involve a few connected steps—such as receiving an input, running an automation, and returning a result—ideal for quick proofs of concept or straightforward business flows. This section introduces you to a simple flow so you can get used to the basics.

This guide demonstrates how to implement a simple process that highlights the core agentic orchestration capabilities: modeling, implementation, debugging, publishing, deployment, and management. The process does not cover integration with other UiPath products. For instructions on setting up and implementing dependencies such as Data Fabric, Integration Service, Studio Web, Agents, and Action Center Action Apps, see How to – Complex Process.

The aim is to build the simple routing process similar to the one from the following image:

Model a process

Note: Agentic process project configuration is currently tenant-bound. Make sure that you remain in the same tenant between editing sessions.

Note: Agentic process project configuration currently supports only one business process (.bpmn) file. Although you can add multiple files to the project, this leads to unexpected issues for both debugging and publishing.

Start by modeling the end-to-end process, then configure the components.

Create an agentic process as a new type of Studio project.

Navigate to your Automation Cloud™ tenant.
On the rail on the left side, from the list of products, select Maestro.
On the Maestro landing page, select Start modeling. Your new agentic process opens.
You can also start by creating a new Agentic Process in Studio Web.
Right-click to rename the project to Simple Process, and the process to Simple Process.
Your agentic process is, by default, part of a solution. Read about solutions in the Studio Web user guide.
Select the start element and click Add: Text annotation from the toolbox and type Input variable path.
Select the start element and click Add: Intermediate event from the toolbox.
Select Change element from the toolbar and select Timer intermediate catch event and type Delay for the intermediate event name.
Select the timer element and click Add: Exclusive gateway from the toolbox and type Which path? for the gateway name.
Select the gateway and click Add: Task and type A task for the name.

Validation errors are shown in the lower-left corner of the canvas.
Select the gateway again and click Add: Task and type B task for the name.
Select the gateway and expand the first condition, it will have a generated name starting withedge_Gateway_{randomcharacters} and type A for the Label. Expand the second condition and type B for the Label.
It is a best practice to create an explicit end to your process. To quickly identify which path the process followed, create an explicit end for each one.
Select the A task and click Add: End event from the toolbox and type End A for the name.
Select the B task and click Add: End event from the toolbox and type End B for the name.

Congratulations! You’ve now created your first BPMN end-to-end process!

Now add some capabilities to the process.

Implement a process

Start event

Select the start element and in the Properties panel type Manual start for the Name and, in the Arguments section, select Add new to add a variable which we can use when we start the process.
Configure the variable with these values and click Save. An output variable will automatically be created.
- Name: path
- Type: String
- Value: A
Select the Delay event and open the properties panel and in the Timer section select Type=Duration and 5 seconds in the value configuration.
Select the gateway and expand the Conditions to enter the condition for the No and Yes paths, and select the text entry picker to open the Expression editor to enter the conditions.
Use Insert variable to find and insert the Manual start output variable path.

Set the value equal to “A”, and select Save.
Open the Expression editor for condition B and insert the Manual start output variable path and set the value equal to “B” and click Save.
Alternatively, you can simply copy/paste the expressions below into expression editor:
- A
```
vars.path == "A"vars.path == "A"
```
- B
```
vars.path == "B"vars.path == "B"
```

Congratulations! You’ve now fully configured your first process.

Note: You can download the BPMN for use in other projects by right clicking on the .bpmn file name.

Debug a process

You can configure breakpoints by hovering over the upper left of an element and selecting Click to add a breakpoint. Currently, breakpoints can only be set once you start debugging a process. However, they are retained between runs. Read about debugging and breakpoints.

Debug straight through

First, run your process straight through to ensure you’ve configured it correctly. Set the default value for your path variable to A so you should see it flow through to A task and End A.

Select Debug to test your process.
Watch how each step is executed. Navigate the Execution Trail and Global Variables/Incidents sections to view additional details.
Select Back to design mode to exit Debugging.

Debug step-by-step

Run your process step-by-step so you can manipulate the path variable to test route B

Select Debug step-by-step.
Select Next step to move execution to the timer
Update the path Global variable for the Manual start event source to B. Select Enter or tab to commit the change.
Select Update 1 variable and Update variables in the next dialog to commit the changes.
Select Continue to finish the execution.
Watch how each step is executed. Navigate the Execution Trail and Global Variables/Incidents sections to view additional details. This time, the process follows the B route.
Select Back to design mode to exit Debugging.

.

Publish and deploy a simple process

Select Publish.
Choose the Location and select Publish.
Read Publishing and upgrading agentic processes for the steps to publish to Orchestrator.

Congratulations! You’ve now fully published, deployed and started your first process.

Now it's time to do runtime instance management.

Manage a business process

From the Automation Cloud portal, navigate to the Maestro service.
Select Simple Process in the list of processes to open the All instances view for your process. You can use search to filter the list if needed.
Select the latest instance to open the instance viewer. You will see the process execute live through each step (assuming the 5 second delay timer is still executing).

You can click on the model background to see Global variables and Action History as well as the Execution trail. You can click on a node in the model or the Execution trail to inspect Details and Variables for that execution step.

Congratulations! You’ve now fully managed your first process.

Now break our process so you can fix it!

Break and fix a process

In this procedure, we will cause a failure in the execution in order to use the instance management to recover.

Go to Orchestrator, to the Automations tab for My Workspace folder and find Simple.Process in the Processes list.
Select Start a Job for the Simple.Process entry but this time edit the Arguments before starting to break it.
Select the Arguments tab and edit the path variable. Set the value to C and select Save.
Select Start.
Navigate to Maestro and select Simple Process in the list of Processes to open the All instances view for your process.
Select the Which path? gateway step to see the No outgoing flow for gateway error which is to be expected since we have no configuration for path==”C”.
Click on the first step container or the model background to view the Global variables.
Ensure the flow will follow a configured condition by updating the path variable for Manual start output (the second one) to A.
Select Update 1 variable to update the variable and add a comment for audit purposes.
Select Retry, add a comment and choose Retry instance to retry the step with the new variable and watch the instance complete.
Note: You might need to refresh the page to see the instance complete.
Look at the Action History to see the audit trail for our changes.

Congratulations! You successfully fixed a broken instance.

Migrate between versions of a process

The current process flow logic is insufficiently robust to manage all path scenarios. You are addressing this issue by publishing a new version of the process. This updated version will effectively accommodate not only new process instances, but will also rectify existing, problematic instances. To ensure you effectively handle all scenarios where path does not equal A, modify the B route to a Not A route.

In this procedure, you will cause a failure in the execution in order to fix it with a new version.

Navigate to Orchestrator.
Go to My Workspace.
Go to the Automations tab and find Simple.Process in the Processes list.
Select Start a Job for the Simple.Process entry and choose Start.
Select the Arguments tab and edit the path variable.
Set the value to C and choose Save.
Select Start.

Now fix your process so you can migrate this broken instance.

Open your Simple Process in UiPath Studio.
Select the Which path? gateway and open the properties panel.
Change the B label to Not A and change the condition to vars.path != A
Change the task B task name to Not A task.
Change the end event End B name to End Not A.
Click Publish, select Orchestrator Personal Workspace Feed and click Publish.

Now migrate your broken instance to the new version.

Navigate to Maestro, select Process instances, and choose Simple Process in the list of Processes to open the All instances view for your process.
Click on the latest instance to open the instance viewer. You will see the process is in a failed state at the Which path? gateway.
Note: You might need to click refresh button for the list to see the latest instance.
Select Migrate, choose the Target version for the process you just published (it should be 1.0.1 but might be different for you), provide a comment and select Migrate instance.
Select Retry, add a comment and click Retry instance to retry the step with the new variable and watch the instance complete.
Note: You might need to refresh the page to see the instance complete.
Look at the Action History to see the audit trail for your changes.