Building a Document Automation Bot in A360

Automation Anywhere is retiring IQ Bot. If your A360 environment still runs extraction through the old IQ Bot package, you are on a clock.

A document automation bot in A360 is a bot that pairs Automation Anywhere’s Document Automation module with a standard Task Bot to pull structured data out of files like invoices, purchase orders, and intake forms, then route that data into the system that needs it. It is the tool that replaces IQ Bot going forward.

I built one this week and logged every step. This is a proof and process post. The exact build, not the theory.

Key Takeaways

• IQ Bot officially reached end of life in March 2026, and its Extraction package is already deprecated as of the Automation 360 v.26 release.
• Document Automation is the current intelligent document processing tool inside A360. Build new extraction bots here, not in IQ Bot.
• The SCAN Method, Sort, Configure, Align, Notify, is a repeatable four step framework for building a document automation bot without getting lost in the interface.
• You do not need an advanced certification to start. The Essentials Certification through Automation Anywhere University is free and covers the fundamentals for a first build.
• A document automation bot pairs a learning instance with a bot workflow. The learning instance extracts, the bot workflow validates, routes, and handles exceptions.
• Classic RPA still owns document extraction. Agentic automation takes over once the extracted data has to trigger a judgment call.

What Document Automation Replaced, and Why It Matters

IQ Bot used to be Automation Anywhere’s answer to unstructured and semi-structured documents. It read invoices, forms, and scanned PDFs using machine learning, then handed clean data to a bot.

That path is closing. Automation Anywhere’s own product update confirms IQ Bot officially reaches end of life in March 2026. The Automation 360 v.26 release notes confirm the IQ Bot Extraction package is deprecated, and new learning instances should be built in Document Automation instead. An IQ Bot DA Bridge package exists for anyone migrating an existing setup rather than starting fresh.

If you are new to A360 and want the ground floor version of this build, start with my walkthrough on building your first bot in Automation Anywhere A360, where I cover the FIELD Method and the general certification path. This post assumes you already have a bot creator environment running and picks up where document heavy processes live.

The SCAN Method: How I Build a Document Automation Bot

I do not open the bot creator cold. Every document automation build follows the same four steps.

1. Sort document types. Before you touch the interface, list every document type the bot will see: invoice, PO, W-9, intake form. Each type gets its own learning instance.
2. Configure the learning instance. Upload sample documents, define the fields you need extracted (vendor name, invoice number, total, due date), and let Document Automation build its extraction model against those samples.
3. Align validation rules. Set confidence thresholds for each field. Anything below the threshold goes to a human review queue instead of straight into production data.
4. Notify and route. The finished bot workflow pushes validated data into its destination, whether that is a database, a spreadsheet, or a downstream approval bot, and sends a notification when a document lands in the exception queue.

Example scenario: a small back office receives forty vendor invoices a week by email. A document automation bot built with the SCAN Method reads each PDF attachment, extracts vendor, amount, and due date, and drops clean rows into a tracking sheet. Anything the model is not confident about lands in a review folder instead of getting entered wrong. Documenting this flow first as an SOP, the way I outline in Create SOPs With AI, is what keeps step one honest instead of guessed.

Where Classic RPA Stops and Agentic Automation Starts

A document automation bot is deterministic. It extracts a field, checks a threshold, routes the result. It does not decide anything.

That is the line. The moment a workflow has to weigh options instead of check a threshold, you have crossed into agentic automation. Extraction, thresholds, routing: that is still classic RPA, and A360 is still built for it. I have written before about what happens once a system needs judgment instead of extraction, in You Are the Single Point of Failure, if you want to see where that line gets crossed in practice.

Do not skip the RPA layer to chase the agent conversation. A veteran moving from a signal or IT background into automation work, the way I did, in From 25U to RPA Developer, usually has an easier time starting here. Document processing is a closed problem with a clear right answer. That is a good place to build confidence before touching anything that has to reason.

Do You Need a Certification First?

No, not to start. The Essentials Certification through Automation Anywhere University is free and covers the fundamentals of Automation 360, enough to follow the SCAN Method on your own documents. I go deeper on which certifications are worth your time in AI Automation Certifications: Do You Actually Need Them? An Advanced Certification and an AI Automation Engineer Certification, currently on a waitlist, exist above that if you want to formalize the skill later.

Your Action Steps This Week

1. Pull ten real documents of one type from your own inbox or files.
2. Build one learning instance in Document Automation against those ten samples.
3. Set a confidence threshold and route anything below it to a review queue instead of production.
4. Run the bot against five new documents it has not seen and check the extraction against the source by hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Document Automation in Automation Anywhere A360?

Document Automation is A360’s current intelligent document processing module. It extracts structured data from invoices, forms, and similar documents and hands that data to a bot workflow, replacing the older IQ Bot extraction package.

Is IQ Bot actually going away?

Yes. Automation Anywhere confirms IQ Bot reaches end of life in March 2026, with the Extraction package already deprecated as of the Automation 360 v.26 release. Existing on premise licenses are not immediately affected, but new builds belong in Document Automation.

Do I need a certification before I build my first document automation bot?

No. The Essentials Certification is free and teaches the fundamentals. You can build a working document automation bot with that foundation and add certifications as your work gets more complex.

Can a document automation bot handle handwritten or unstructured documents?

Document Automation is built for semi-structured and unstructured documents, the same category IQ Bot targeted. Accuracy on handwritten fields depends on the model and the sample set. Confirm current handwriting accuracy benchmarks with Automation Anywhere before committing a handwriting heavy process to production.

Recap

IQ Bot is on its way out, and Document Automation is where extraction bots belong now. The SCAN Method, sort, configure, align, notify, gets you from a stack of documents to a working bot without guessing at the interface. Classic RPA still owns this layer. Save the agentic conversation for the step after extraction, once something has to decide what the data means.

If you want the next build the day I ship it, follow @AllenDavis-AI or subscribe below. Every SOP, every bot, every step, logged the same way. If you are ready to turn builds like this into paid client work, my breakdown on your first paid automation offer is the next stop.

References

Automation Anywhere. (2026). IQ Bot will officially sunset in March 2026. Automation Anywhere Community. https://community.automationanywhere.com/product-updates/iq-bot-will-officially-sunset-in-march-2026-89560

Automation Anywhere. (2026). Automation 360 v.26 release notes. https://docs.automationanywhere.com/bundle/enterprise-v2019/page/enterprise-cloud/topics/release-notes/automation-360-v26.html

Automation Anywhere. (2026). Automation Anywhere University. Pathfinder Portal. https://pathfinder.automationanywhere.com/university