- Introduction
- Getting started
- Process modeling
- Process implementation
- Process operations
- Process monitoring
- Process optimization
- Reference information
Maestro user guide
Working with files in Maestro processes
UiPath Maestro™ supports two ways of handling file attachments at runtime:
- Job Attachments (managed by UiPath® Orchestrator): default and recommended.
- Data Fabric file fields: supported alternative.
Both approaches allow you to download, pass, and consume files in a process. The difference lies in how they are governed, and what setup is required.
Overview: two attachment models
| Use case | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
| Pass an email attachment to an RPA process | Job Attachment |
| Send a document to an agent for processing | Job Attachment |
| Temporary files used only during execution | Job Attachment |
| Files tied to a long-lived business record | Data Fabric |
| Files reused across multiple processes | Data Fabric |
Job Attachments (default)
Job Attachments are files managed by UiPath Orchestrator and associated with a process execution (job).
- No Data Fabric enabling and setup required
- Enabled by default
- Governed by Orchestrator retention policies
- Ideal for transient, process-scoped files
This is the recommended way to handle files in Maestro.
How it works
With Job Attachments, files are handled as process-level attachments:
- A connector downloads or produces a file.
- The file is returned as a job attachment reference.
- That reference is passed to downstream tasks (agents, RPA, connectors).
- Orchestrator stores and governs the file according to retention policies configured by you.
You do not configure storage explicitly. Maestro and Orchestrator handle it automatically.
Example: download an email attachment and pass it to another task
Step 1: Download the file
- Add a Send task.
- In Action, select Execute connector activity.
- Select the connector (for example, Microsoft Outlook 365 or Box).
- Choose your connection.
- Choose the activity that that downloads the attachment, Download File.
- Select the desired file.
- Notice that in the Output section, the File resource field is autopopulated with response. No other configuration necessary.
Step 2: Pass the file to another task
- Add a Send task.
- Set Action to Execute connector activity, for example.
- Select Microsoft Outlook 365 as Connector.
- Select your connection.
- Choose the Send email activity.
- Configure the recipient email address, subject and body.
- In the attachment field, select the reference of the file hosted
The file is passed by reference. No file content is copied into variables.
After debug, you can check the Variables tab in Instance management to see the output containing the ID that references the attachment ID in UiPath Orchestrator.
This aligns file lifecycle management with other Orchestrator resources such as jobs and logs.
Retention and governance
Job Attachments are stored in Orchestrator and follow:
- Orchestrator retention policies
- Tenant or folder-level governance
- Automatic cleanup based on configuration
Data Fabric attachments (optional)
Data Fabric attachments store files inside Data Fabric entity fields.
- Requires Data Fabric to be enabled and licensed
- Files are persisted as part of a business record
- Suitable when files must be reused, queried, or audited long-term
This model remains fully supported but is no longer required for most scenarios.
Prerequisites
Before using files in Maestro, make sure that:
- Data Fabric is enabled in your organization or tenant.
- An entity with a file-supporting field is configured.
When a record is created, no additional fields are required beyond those automatically filled by Data Fabric.
How it works
In the original implementation of file support in Maestro, files were stored in Data Fabric entities.
- A connector downloads a file.
- You specify:
- Entity name
- Record ID
- File field
- The stored file is referenced in Data Fabric.
- Maestro passes a Data Fabric reference to downstream tasks.
Example: download an file from Data Fabric and pass it to another task
Step 1: Download the file
- Add a Send task.
- In Action, select Execute connector activity.
- Select the connector (for example, Microsoft Outlook 365 or Box).
- Select your connection.
- Choose the activity that that downloads the attachment, Download File.
- Select the desired file.
- In the Output section, in the File resource field, select the tune menu and choose Data Fabric.
- In the Data Fabric editor prompt, fill in the Entity and Field.
Step 2: Pass the file to another task
- Add a Send task.
- Set Action to Execute connector activity, for example.
- Select Microsoft Outlook 365 as Connector.
- Select your connection.
- Choose the Send email activity.
- Configure the recipient email address, subject and body.
- In the Attachment field, select Data Fabric from the tune menu.
-
In the Data Fabric editor prompt, fill in the entity, Record to fetch (the RecordId), and the Field.
After debug, you can check the Variables tab in Instance management to see the output containing the record ID that references the new file.
The file is passed by reference. No file content is copied into variables. This approach is still valid and fully supported.
When Data Fabric makes sense
Use Data Fabric when files must:
- Be associated with a business entity
- Be reused across multiple process instances
- Persist independently of process execution
- Participate in data queries or analytics
For more details, see the Data Fabric user guide.
Important behavior notes
- Files are never stored in variables
- Files are passed by reference, not by value
- Job Attachments and Data Fabric references are not interchangeable
- The default behavior favors Job Attachments
- Overview: two attachment models
- Job Attachments (default)
- How it works
- Example: download an email attachment and pass it to another task
- Retention and governance
- Data Fabric attachments (optional)
- Prerequisites
- How it works
- Example: download an file from Data Fabric and pass it to another task
- When Data Fabric makes sense
- Important behavior notes
