Do you remember algebra from math lessons in school? We used variables to represent a number that we needed to solve, as follows:
X = 10
Y = 8
Z = X + Y
Later on, we learned how to solve for Z, which, in our little example, equals 18.
Data items are the X and Y variables of Blue Prism. They are used to contain value items in our process that are used for expressions, decisions, and calculations, including the number of items to purchase, the email address of the purchaser, and the website address.
They can contain anything from text to numbers to dates. Blue Prism recognizes the following types of data items:
| Data type | Description |
| Date | Stores a date |
| DateTime | Stores a date with a time value |
| Number | Can be a whole number, or a decimal, positive, or negative number. Also used for storing dollar values |
| Password | A masked text that appears as a series of dots when... |