Hi Community members, A solution to last week’s challenge can be found here. This challenge was submitted by Andrew Bacon, @abacon. Thank you, Andrew, for your submission! As summer heats up — and with it, a season full of hot dog eating competitions across the US — it's time to host your own version... in Alteryx! In this challenge, you’ll simulate a 3-round hot dog eating competition using an iterative macro. You’re given a dataset of 12 contestants with the following info: * Name * Hot Dogs per Minute (HDPM) — their starting speed * Drop Rate per Minute — how much slower they get each round * Group — initial competition group (1, 2, or 3) Each round, contestants eat hot dogs at their current HDPM. After each round, the contestant's HDPM drops based on their personal rate. The rules for each round are as follows: * Round 1 – 10 Minutes: 3 groups of 4 contestants — top 2 from each group advance * Round 2 – 11 Minutes: 2 groups of 3 contestants — top 2 from each group advance * Round 3 – 12 Minutes: Final 4 compete — the top eater wins Your tasks: * Identify the winner and report how many hot dogs they ate in the final round. * List all advancing contestants from each round, along with how many hot dogs they ate in that round. Use an iterative macro to simulate each round and apply the performance drop over time. Hint: Pay close attention to the number of contestants advancing after each round. Once you have completed your challenge, include your solution file and a screenshot of your workflow as attachments to your comment. Good Luck! The Academy Team Challenge 485_start_file.yxmd Challenge 485_solution_file.yxzp

Challenge Completed Spoiler Challenge 485_Joe_Serpis.yxzp

Here is my solution. Challenge_485_macro.yxmc Challenge+485_AW.yxmd

Here's my solution: Challenge 485_BS.yxzp

Challenge #485: Hot Dog Eating Contest Simulation

AYXAcademy

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Hi Community members,

A solution to last week’s challenge can be found here.

This challenge was submitted by Andrew Bacon, @abacon. Thank you, Andrew, for your submission!

As summer heats up — and with it, a season full of hot dog eating competitions across the US — it's time to host your own version... in Alteryx!

In this challenge, you’ll simulate a 3-round hot dog eating competition using an iterative macro.

You’re given a dataset of 12 contestants with the following info:

Name
Hot Dogs per Minute (HDPM) — their starting speed
Drop Rate per Minute — how much slower they get each round
Group — initial competition group (1, 2, or 3)

Each round, contestants eat hot dogs at their current HDPM. After each round, the contestant's HDPM drops based on their personal rate.

The rules for each round are as follows:

Round 1 – 10 Minutes: 3 groups of 4 contestants — top 2 from each group advance
Round 2 – 11 Minutes: 2 groups of 3 contestants — top 2 from each group advance
Round 3 – 12 Minutes: Final 4 compete — the top eater wins

Your tasks:

Identify the winner and report how many hot dogs they ate in the final round.
List all advancing contestants from each round, along with how many hot dogs they ate in that round.

Use an iterative macro to simulate each round and apply the performance drop over time.

Hint: Pay close attention to the number of contestants advancing after each round.

Once you have completed your challenge, include your solution file and a screenshot of your workflow as attachments to your comment.

Good Luck!

The Academy Team

Challenge 485_start_file.yxmd

Challenge 485_solution_file.yxzp

Macros

Advanced

Difficult

Accepted answers

All comments

Kenda

Spoiler

485.yxzp

Erin

Missed first to respond again, drats! Also, why did I do this on my lunch break? And nope, not craving a hot dog.
Workflow:

Spoiler

Macro:

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challenge_485_submission_EM.yxzp

Carolyn

Lucky #3 (for order of responses)

Spoiler

For assigning the Groups for the 2nd Round, I had to do a little bit of hardcoding. It seems like they should have alternated the groups based on most hot dogs going to Group 1, then the next one going to Group 2, but it wasn't done exactly like that in the answer, with the top 2 going to Group 1, then the next 2 going to Group 2, then 1 to 1 then 1 to 2. Not a big deal but took me a little to get there

2025-08-06 10_19_29-Alteryx Designer x64 - Macro.yxmc.png

Challenge+485_Carolyn.yxzp

JBevan89

I did it none handed by myself, but it is very raw and no way is it as efficient like others, but the goal was to do, and as it's summertime i'm happy it. In a few days i will check others on how I could have done it more efficiently, but for now Happy Summertime😎

Spoiler

JB_C485.yxmc

Challenge+485_JB.yxmd

olga_strubbe

This was a fun challenge and a fun topic, thank you, @abacon!

Also want to thank @Kenda for helping me to get started with the iterative macro to get groups of contestants re-sorted in a proper way.

Spoiler

Macro:

macro pic.png

Challenge 485_OS.yxmd

Hot Dogs macro.yxmc

RWvanLeeuwen

I went for a slightly different route as I did not understand who was to be placed in which group after the initial round. So I made some changes

Spoiler

In all grouping scenarios I generated, Joey was the winner in all of them

Challenge485_start_file - RWvL.yxmd

RolandSchubert

Spoiler

Challenge_485_solution_rsc.yxzp

mattnason1

Tough one, I stink at macros!

Challenge+485_start_file_mn.yxmd

Macro.yxmc

lwolfie

Easier challenge, now that I have a better grasp on iterative macros.

Challenge+485_solution_LW.yxzp

Pilsner

Great challenge, excelent practice for iterative macros. It really got me thinking about how to handle different variables between each round!

Spoiler

After reaching an answer I realised its not my most colourfull workflow ever with preparation tools only (excluding the inputs/outputs), but that certainly didnt take away from the fun of the challenge.

Workflow:

Macro:

485 (Hot Dogs).yxzp

alineruizcampos

Spoiler

Challenge 485_Aline.yxzp

shrestha_nitesh

Workflow:

Spoiler

Macro:

Spoiler

Challenge 485.yxzp

Yanxuliu

Challenge #485: Hot Dog Eating Contest Simulation

485.yxzp

clewis28

Spoiler

Challenge+485_clewis28.yxzp

balajilolla3

Spoiler

Solution Attached

Screenshot 2025-08-09 221707.png

Challenge+485_start_file.yxzp

AkimasaKajitani

My solution!

Spoiler

Macro:

Challenge+485_start_file_AK.yxzp

Bobbyt23

A really fun challenge. Getting the groupings right took me a couple of goes.

Spoiler

Weekly Challenge 485 11-08-25.yxzp

Dhrish

Solution

Challenge+485_start_file.yxzp

alexnajm

Done!

Spoiler

Challenge+485_start_file_Alex Abi-Najm.yxzp

rmassambane

485

Challenge+485_start_file.yxmd

abe_ibanez

Spoiler

Challenge+485_ai_solution.yxzp

Steve_Vincent

Spoiler

Bent my head in all sorts of directions, never really done things with iterative macros before and this has been an interesting learning experience. Wouldn't have got there without ideas from others

Challenge+485_SV.yxzp

ed_hayter

Many Glizzy's consumed in the completion of this iterative macro.

Spoiler

Challenge+485_solution.yxzp

Qiu

Give a try.

Spoiler

Challenge-485_start_file_Qiu.yxmd

wbasuki

My Solution

Spoiler

Challenge+485_start_file_WB.yxzp

jtmoll

My stab at the solution

Spoiler

HDPM.yxzp

Kilbyflow_Designer

Complete!!

Spoiler

Challenge485_CK.yxmd

tammybrown_tds

I'm done with hot dogs for awhile....thanks.

challenge_485_tbrown.yxmd

This one seems straightforward, yet it turns out to have one major requirement that is not given or explained.

What to do with the initial data is simple, and how to determine the overall winner is also simple.

What is *NOT* simple was choosing how to group the people for Round 2.

The challenge statement made no claim as to how this would be done, so you had to figure it out on your own if you wanted to match the given output.

I spent a long time figuring out how they wanted me to pick the groups for Round 2. Eventually I had to sort of semi-hard code the groupings in Round 2. I do not like doing things like that. I prefer being dynamic as much as concievably possible.

Learning -

1. I have pointed out elsewhere that the join tool sorts the data behind the scenes. What I learned with this challenge is that the output rows can be in a different order depending on what you used for your join condition. This is true even if the extra join field would make no difference (because it is 1-1 mapped with another field that you are already using).

2. This challenge further emphasised to me that when doing these kinds of problems in a business setting it is very important to establish as many parameters, methods, and guidelines as you can before starting to code, and during the process it is the case that having an open line of communication with the requestor is quite helpful.