Extracting Data from Legacy Desktop Apps with Power Automate
Short answer
CE Use Get UI element details to extract standard field data and Extract text by using optical character recognition (OCR) to read text from images or non-selectable areas.
Question
Key Takeaways
Tests the distinction between native UI extraction and optical character recognition (OCR) when dealing with non-standard or image-bound data formats in older applications.
This question addresses extracting product images and descriptions from a legacy desktop application into Dataverse. It establishes that OCR is required for image-based text while UI element details are needed for standard fields.
Common mistake: Candidates often select 'Change focus' or 'Wait for window', which are control actions rather than data extraction methods, failing to address the specific need to capture content.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
The scenario involves a legacy application where data might be rendered as an image or requires robust text extraction capabilities. Option E (Extract text by using OCR) is essential because it allows the automation to read text from screenshots or embedded images within the application, covering the description field if it's not natively selectable. Option C (Get UI element details) is the complementary action needed to extract structured data from standard UI controls, ensuring both the image reference and any accessible text fields are captured accurately for the Dataverse table.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A (Change the focus) and Option B (Wait for window content) are workflow control actions used to navigate or synchronize timing, not to extract data values. Option D (Capture an image) only saves a screenshot to disk; it does not process or extract the underlying data (text or metadata) required to populate the Dataverse table fields.
Community Comment Notes
Community consensus strongly favors C and E. As MotherOfHarryPotter noted, "Since the description field is in an image. Need OCR to extract," highlighting the necessity of OCR for image-bound text. Another user, sugaSri, explained that C extracts specific UI data while E handles image-based text, providing a complete solution for both elements.
Exam Strategy
When asked about data extraction from legacy apps, always look for OCR if images are involved. Pair OCR with native UI extraction actions (like Get UI Element Details) to ensure you can handle both structured and unstructured data sources effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I just use Capture an Image?
When should I use OCR vs Get UI Element Details?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer CE. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 4 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 4
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MotherOfHarryPotter 👍 2D and E Since the description field is in an image. Need OCR to extract
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sugaSri 👍 1C. Get UI element details in a window: This action allows you to extract specific data from UI elements within the application window, such as the product description1. E. Extract text by using optical character recognition (OCR): This action enables you to extract text from images or documents using OCR technology, which is useful for capturing the product description from the data sheets
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cayenne06 👍 1I think, it's C and E because each answer must be a complete solution for both text and image.
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c2b1c40 👍 1B and C or C and D I am not sure, can anyone explain?
Reader comments & corrections
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