# RPA challenge with Robot Framework

**URL:** <https://forum.robotframework.org/t/rpa-challenge-with-robot-framework/177>\
**Category:** RPA\
**Created:** [11 May 2020 11:19 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/rpa-challenge-with-robot-framework/177 "2020-05-11T11:19:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Antti](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forum.robotframework.org/antti/32/18_2.png) [@Antti](https://forum.robotframework.org/u/Antti)\
**Post date:** [11 May 2020 11:19 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/rpa-challenge-with-robot-framework/177/1 "2020-05-11T11:19:16Z")

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The [RPA challenge](http://www.rpachallenge.com/) is a common way to test different tools’ capabilities. Here’s an example of solving the “input forms” challenge with Robot Framework. Interestingly the straight-forward implementation will finish in nine seconds, but with just a few optimizations, it can do it in under 1.5 seconds.

[Video: “Solving the RPA Challenge in under 1.5 seconds with Robot Framework and Robocode Lab”](https://youtu.be/k-o9MqScDwM)

Has anyone else tried these out?

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**Author:** ![Noordsestern](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forum.robotframework.org/noordsestern/32/4270_2.png) [@Noordsestern](https://forum.robotframework.org/u/Noordsestern)\
**Post date:** [27 May 2020 19:27 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/rpa-challenge-with-robot-framework/177/2 "2020-05-27T19:27:38Z")

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Yes. However, I cannot run it in 1.5 seconds, even the solution from robocorp team. Might be my workstation where it takes twice as long.

I moved loading the data from the excel file before clicking the `Start` button and was able to speed it up by another 15%. Maybe you can push it in your environment below 1 second 😉

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**Author:** ![Antti](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forum.robotframework.org/antti/32/18_2.png) [@Antti](https://forum.robotframework.org/u/Antti)\
**Post date:** [27 May 2020 20:34 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/rpa-challenge-with-robot-framework/177/3 "2020-05-27T20:34:09Z")

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It would be interesting to know what takes up that extra time. I did a live Q&A session yesterday and I showed a quick demo in the beginning. There you can see that my RPA Form Challenge actually completed in 920ms - even with the Zoom session taxing my CPU. Here a video of it [https://youtu.be/HZOWz\_x\_i3s](https://youtu.be/HZOWz_x_i3s)

Are you running the exact code from this example?

> **[robocorp/example-activities](https://github.com/robocorp/example-activities/tree/master/rpa-form-challenge)**
>
> Robocorp Suite example activities. Contribute to robocorp/example-activities development by creating an account on GitHub.

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**Author:** ![Noordsestern](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forum.robotframework.org/noordsestern/32/4270_2.png) [@Noordsestern](https://forum.robotframework.org/u/Noordsestern)\
**Post date:** [27 May 2020 21:14 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/rpa-challenge-with-robot-framework/177/4 "2020-05-27T21:14:35Z")

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Yes, i used the example activity. Don’t know why it is slower.

My own solution uses DataDriver and generates dynamically a task from each row of the excel file resulting in robot report file listing every data set. In robocontainer on robocloud, this solution is almost as fast (1.5 seconds) as the example-activity (1.1 seconds): [https://github.com/Noordsestern/rpa-challenge/blob/master/tasks/challenge\_input\_forms\_fast.robot](https://github.com/Noordsestern/rpa-challenge/blob/master/tasks/challenge_input_forms_fast.robot)