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Bot Architecture on Azure Explained

Billy Yann
Data Scientist
Deep learning and machine learning specialist, well-versed with experience in Cloud infrastructure, Block-chain technologies and Big Data solutions.
November 15, 2019


Software technology has been on the rise in the 21st Century. The latest technology in the mix is bots. Websites are employing intelligent robots or bots to deal with potential clients and customers. These bots provide a customized experience in which, the clients or customers feel they are dealing with an actual person rather than an intelligent robot. The bots people deal with on various websites are known as chat-bots, as they essentially chat with potential customers or clients and pass on the information they are seeking.

Conversing with bots

The conversation with bots can be of 3 categories that include text, interactive cards or speech. Interaction with bots is usually quick and simple. It could be either a one-on-one question & answer interactive session or they can intelligently direct users to access services. Very simple bots can also act as a medium to pass messages.

What makes bots unique?

The Internet is home to bots. The bots relay messages that they obtain from API (Application Programming Interfaces). Every type of bot is unique, according to its make and function. The bot software uses an array of technology as well as tools for providing the right experiences, how complex it may be, on various web platforms.

The things that bots can do:

✔ Reading and writing various files.

✔ Using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and various databases

✔ Performing regular computational operations and tasks.

✔ The unique use of mechanisms that were previously based on human-to-human interactions.

Microsoft Azure

Through Microsoft Azure, one can build and develop intelligent robots that are conversational. These bots provide unique conversational experiences to customers and clients. An intelligent bot has the ability to book reservations and confirm meetings as well. The created bot could be a simple one, which just converses in a Q & A mode or it could be a bit more complex one that could be a virtual assistant to anyone. A bot can be created by integrating cognitive services. With Microsoft Azure, it is easy to add language & speech to the bot that is being created. Get a good reach with clients and customers by interacting with them in any communication channels. For instance, one can apply bots to websites and mobile apps. Create bots using Microsoft Azure, and be as flexible & efficient as it can be.

Framework for building bots using Azure

There should be clarity about what Azure bot service offers a bot-developer. These are the main elements Azure provides for building a framework for building bots:

✔ A framework using the Software Development Kit (SDK) for developing bots.

✔ Framework tools that allow continuity of workflow during the building of bots.

✔ A messaging service between bots & channels using Bot Framework Service (BFS).

✔ Deployment & configuration of bots in Azure.

Bots use other Azure services as well:

✔ Building intelligent apps using Azure Cognitive Services

✔ Storing data & databases using Azure Storage.

Framework for building a virtual assistant

Have a detailed look into a bot framework, which can be a virtual assistant to anyone, in Microsoft Azure website. A large amount of data needs to be incorporated & integrated for creating a virtual assistant using Azure; yet it is simple to design these intelligent bots. These are the core data needed to create a virtual assistant using Microsoft Azure:

Azure Bot Services:

✔ User input, channels, and devices

Bot Framework:

✔ Speech, language understanding, vision, Q & A, and dispatch.

Dispatch:

✔ Knowledge sources, customizable skills, and 3P assistants.

Framework to build a bot using Azure

Microsoft Azure offers lot of integrating tools that aid in creating a bot. Referred to as Azure Bot Framework and Azure Bot Services, these tools facilitate in designing an intelligent robot that can be integrated into a web or mobile application. With Azure, one can choose their development platform as well as tools for different stages that are needed in building bots.

Software Development Kits (SDKs) are available for C#, JavaScript & TypeScript as of now. SDKs for Python and Java are under development. With so much facilities and elements available in Azure for bot development, it is quite easy to understand the knowhow of creating bots.

services

A basic framework for bots

Plan

Planning is the first & foremost step that is essential in designing a bot. The roles of various software used in bots, should be analyzed & evaluated to ensure best performance from these intelligent robots.

Build

The main purpose of bots, as mentioned before, is receiving & sending messages in more than one language. With the help of tools from Azure portal, one can create bots in various environments. Azure provides all the components needed for building functional bots. Also, Azure gives all command-line tools for creating, managing, and testing software used in bots. Are you stuck with the dreaded starting trouble? Fear not, as Azure offers you samples to get you going.

Test

For testing your intelligent robot, Emulator is the app you need. Also known as the Bot Framework Emulator, this app help in understanding the bots you designed & created. Bot Framework Emulator provides you with a chat interface along with ways to debug & interrogate your intelligent robots.

Publish

Publish your thoroughly tested bots on to the website or mobile application. Also, you can upload these on to Azure. A valid address on public internet provides bots with their homes from where they can thrive.

Connect

It would be essential to connect your bot to social media platforms. The solid bot framework will take care of relaying messages & responding to your queries in a programmed way. Keep in mind that, your bot will be always busy dealing with messages one way or another.

Evaluate

You can evaluate your bot through Azure portal. Proper analytics can help you in analyzing conversational-level elements, which needs to be upgraded. With the data obtained by evaluation, you can upgrade & update your intelligent robots and help them thrive on the cloud.

Language Understanding Intelligent Service (LUIS)

Cognitive services embedded in bots to enable these intelligent robots to understand the languages used by the user. The bots analyze languages by breaking it down, understanding it, and piecing it together in the blink of an eye; fast & efficient! LUIS is designed in such a way that, the bots can understand valuable information hidden in any type of conversation. This aids in developing customized language solutions pretty easily. With these much of information loaded on to bots, it would be easy for them to learn & adapt quickly to any conversations.

Azure SQL Database

The SQL (Standard Query Language) Database of Azure helps these bots to identify answers to queries posed by users. This database helps bots to interact with users and provide what they want, using simple logic architecture.

For example, the logical events of information flow through an "information bot" are as follows:

✔ A user kick-starts an information bot, whose identity is verified by Automated Application Development (AAD).

✔ The user or an employee can ask about the various queries the information bot supports.

✔ Bots process this request through LUIS or/and Q & A maker and answers to the query.

✔The user or employee responds with a query.

✔ This returns the relevant information from SQL to user or employee

✔ Bots submit this query to the Azure database.

✔ Application insights keep a tab on performance & help in improving these information bots.

Looking carefully, it is evident there is a pattern that keeps running around in a bot"s software. The given task is automated by accessing knowledge & other content. It is a norm that, bots handover this information to people & also to web-browser and back. Bots in websites & apps communicate via text and media to handle user interactions &authentication. This cycle keeps continuing as long as the bots help & serve us with our queries and related answers.

Azure Bot Service

Microsoft Azure offers the best platform to design and create bots. It is noteworthy that bots created using Azure Bot Service support 18 different languages. Azure provides a 24 x 7 customer service for all the developers. LUIS has been evolved to support around 470 to 500 intents & 80 to 100 entities.

Azure offers three main bot services, which include Web App & Functions Bot Services along with Bot Channels Registration. The bot you have helps in connecting with various bot interfaces & Azure bot service supports. To create a Web App bot, go to Microsoft Azure, get the webpage, look at the links & click create after mentioning the parameters.

Bot Architecture on Azure Explained

For creating efficient bots for your website or mobile application, Microsoft Azure is the website you should visit. You will get clear know-how about creating bots & how you can integrate various tools such as LUIS & Azure SQL Database on to the bots. Thus, these are the ways by which bot architecture is created in Azure.