Can Excel related activities function without having Excel installed on the machine?

The correct choice indicates that Excel-related activities can indeed function without having Excel installed on the machine but is specific to .xlsx files. This is feasible due to the ability of RPA tools to utilize libraries and integrations that can handle .xlsx file formats natively. These tools can read, write, and manipulate .xlsx files without requiring the full Excel application to be installed.

Excel's newer .xlsx format is based on an open XML standard, which simplifies operations because it can be processed by many software applications and programming libraries. Therefore, when dealing with .xlsx files, RPA tools often rely on these integrated capabilities to perform tasks effectively.

Regarding .xls files, which are the older binary format of Excel, RPA tools may not have the same level of support without having the Excel application itself installed. The binary format is not as straightforward to manipulate without Excel's underlying infrastructure, potentially leading to complications in performing activities.

This distinction is crucial in understanding how RPA tools interact with different file types and what dependencies they may or may not have.