# Recipe: extract data from a desktop app

> Build an RPA workflow that reads values from a desktop application with no API and writes them to a spreadsheet.

This recipe builds a workflow that reads values from a desktop application that has no API, and writes them to a spreadsheet. It shows the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) sweet spot: getting data out of a system you can only reach through its interface.

## Prerequisites

- A coding agent set up for UiPath work, with an authenticated session (see [Install and set up](install-and-set-up.md)).
- The target desktop application installed and reachable, with a record open or searchable.

## Build the workflow

1. Open your coding agent in your project folder, with the application running.
2. Describe the task:

   "Build an RPA workflow that opens each record listed in `ids.xlsx` in our desktop app, reads the customer name, status, and balance, and writes them to `export.xlsx`."

3. Let the agent capture the fields it needs to read, screen by screen, and register them in the Object Repository.
4. Review which fields it reads and how it moves between records.
5. Ask the agent to run the workflow.
6. Open `export.xlsx` and confirm the values match the application.
7. Refine the handling for missing records or fields that load slowly.
8. Run the workflow again to confirm the fix.

**Result:** a workflow that extracts data from an interface-only application into a clean spreadsheet.

:::note
Exact activities, captured selectors, and run commands vary by agent, application, and prompt. Confirm success from the exported file against the application, not from the agent's "done" message.
:::