DU framework: Document Understanding Process Template
🎯 Learning objectives
- Explain what the Document Understanding Process template is and why it exists
- Access and create a project from the template in UiPath Studio
- Differentiate between the attended and unattended execution modes
- Navigate the key workflow files and understand their role in the pipeline
🧩 What is the Document Understanding Process?
The Document Understanding Process is a ready-made UiPath Studio template that provides a complete, production-ready framework for building document processing automations. Instead of building from scratch, you start from a fully structured project that already implements best practices for the entire DU pipeline — OCR, classification, extraction, human validation, and export.
✅ Why Use the Template?
- Saves significant development time — the pipeline structure is already built
- Built-in error handling, logging, and retry logic
- Supports both attended and unattended execution with minimal code changes
- Follows UiPath best practices for long-running workflows and human-in-the-loop validation
- Compatible with UiPath Studio version 21.4 or higher
🚀 How to Access the Template
Open UiPath Studio (version 21.4 or higher).
Navigate to the Templates tab in the Studio Backstage view (the Start screen when no project is open).
Search for Document Understanding Process in the search box.
Click Use Template, define your file name and directory, then click Create. Studio will scaffold the full project structure.
⚙️ Project Execution Modes
A clean project created from this template includes two main deployment pathways, each suited to a different execution context:
🖥️ Main_Attended.xaml
Best suited for local desktop execution where developers or users validate anomalies directly on their screens in real time.
- Human validation happens inline — the robot pauses and the user reviews results immediately
- Uses the Validation Station and Classification Station activities
- Ideal for: proof-of-concepts, lower-volume processes, and scenarios where a human is always present
☁️ Main_ActionCenter.xaml
Optimized for high-volume, long-running unattended server processes that push exceptions to the cloud via UiPath Action Center.
- The robot runs fully unattended and creates Action Center tasks for any low-confidence results
- Human validators review tasks in Action Center at their own pace — asynchronous validation
- Ideal for: production deployments, large document batches, 24/7 processing
📋 Attended vs. Unattended — Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Main_Attended.xaml | Main_ActionCenter.xaml |
|---|---|---|
| Validation style | Inline, real-time | Async via Action Center |
| Robot type | Attended | Unattended (server) |
| Human interaction | Immediate, on the same machine | Cloud-based, anytime |
| Best for | Low-medium volume, local validation | High-volume, production |
🔄 Workflow Overview
Both execution modes share the same core DU pipeline. The template pre-wires the following steps — you configure and extend them for your specific documents:
🗂️ Key Workflow Files in the Template
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Main_Attended.xaml | Entry point for attended execution — triggers inline validation stations |
| Main_ActionCenter.xaml | Entry point for unattended execution — pushes exceptions to Action Center |
| Framework/ | Core workflow logic: initialize, process document, handle exceptions |
| Config.xlsx | Central configuration: file paths, confidence thresholds, Orchestrator asset names |
| DocumentProcessing.xaml | The DU pipeline: digitize → classify → extract → validate → export |
🔄 Core Pipeline Steps (Shared by Both Modes)
- Load Taxonomy — load document types and fields from your DU project or local taxonomy file
- Digitize Document — run OCR to convert the document to machine-readable text
- Classify Document Scope — identify the document type
- Data Extraction Scope — extract field values using configured extractors
- Validation — human review of low-confidence results (inline or via Action Center)
- Train Classifiers / Extractors Scope — send validated corrections back as feedback
- Export — write validated data to Excel, database, or downstream system
✅ Knowledge check
1. Which execution mode is best suited for a high-volume, 24/7 unattended document processing scenario?
2. Where do you find the Document Understanding Process template in UiPath Studio?