Best usage of the end stage and start stage

[PriyathamPallap]

Hello All,

I have a question.

We use the start and end stages to Send the data IN and OUT of one process to other or from Action to Process or just between two different things.

Will it make any difference if i use collection to send In or Out the data or if i used a simple text variable. 

What will be the impact of using different datatypes for IN and OUT with respect to memory consumption or the Blueprism stability.

If i use collection how it will impact the code
If i use simple Text data item how it will impact the code
If i use flag data item how it will impact the code
If i use any other type how it will impact the code

I would like to know the different impacts on using the different data types in the code with respect to memory and also if there is any other things needs to be considered while developing and deploying in production.

I am aware it can be based on usage or need. But for best usage i would like to know in details on how the blue prism considers each usage.

Thanks in advance 🙂

[John__Carter]

Hi Priyatham - simple data types like flag, number, date etc should have no discernible difference, so you needn't worry about those.

Types that have the potential to be very large, eg text, collection, binary, image etc could have an impact, depending on their size and, significantly, how you use them. For example, when passing a collection around you are creating multiple instances, and that could be a memory drain if the collection was huge. Basic advice if dealing with very large data is to not assume BP will soak up anything you give it, and maybe think about whether using a global data item could avoid the need for page input/outputs, and whether housekeeping within your process/object (eg wiping down a collection after use) would be helpful.