Data extraction, also known as web scraping, aims to collect data from a source, filter it, and process it for later use in strategy development and decision-making. You can incorporate it in data science, analytics, and digital marketing initiatives. Some typical use cases for data extraction include online price tracking, real estate, and review aggregation. In this article, we’ll look at three ways you can extract data from a website and several components that make up web scraping. Continue reading to learn more.
Data Extraction With Your Own Programming and Coding
Writing your online scraping code is typically the most cost-effective and versatile choice you have for extensive web scraping activities. For instance, assume you’re a price-monitoring service that gathers data from numerous E-commerce websites. You can incorporate the following items into your in-house web scraping stack:
Proxies
Proxies are vital in any online scraping process. Numerous websites exhibit various data depending on the IP address you use to access them. For instance, an online merchant will display prices in euros for individuals within the European Union. Depending on your location and the target website from which you want to pull data, you might require proxies in other countries to access their information fully.
Headless Browsers
Headless browsers are a vital aspect of contemporary web scraping. A huge number of websites are being developed using glitzy front-end frameworks such as Vue.js, Angular.js, and React.js. These JavaScript frameworks utilize client-side rendering to draw the DOM (Document Object Model) and back-end API to fetch the data.
Extraction Rules (XPath and CSS Selectors)
These rules refer to the logic used to choose the HTML elements that need extraction. XPath and CSS selectors are the two seamless techniques for selecting HTML components on a page.
Job Scheduling
Job scheduling is yet another vital component. You can track the prices each day or each week. Using a work scheduling system also has the benefit of allowing you to retry unsuccessful tasks. In web scraping, error handling is critical. Numerous errors that are beyond your control may happen.
Storage
After obtaining data from a website, you should typically keep it. You can use various formats to go about this, but some of the most popular to store your scraped data include JSON, CSV, XML, or even an SQL or NoSQL database.
Use of Applications and No-Code Solutions to Recover Data
Alternatively, you can still find solutions if your firm has no developers. Some remedies are code-free, while others need minor coded APIs. This approach is particularly constructive if you temporarily require data. Following this method, you’ll be looking at procuring your information from:
Data Brokers
These are also known as information resellers. They are companies that collect information from various sources to build comprehensive consumer profiles. They may obtain information from public sources, commercials and marketing materials, your browsing history, etc. Some well-known data brokers in the US include Acxiom, Experian, Intelius, and Datalogix.
API Specific to Websites
You can utilize certain APIs if you only need to pull data from one website (as opposed to many different ones). Doing so frees you from tackling maintenance when the target website updates its HTML.
This approach means you won’t need to track anything, modify the extraction rules, or worry about proxies being blocked from time to time.
Web Browser Extensions
Web browser extensions may be a valuable tool for collecting information from websites. The ideal situation is when you need to pull well-formatted data from a table or a list of page items. Some extensions, such as DataMiner, have available scraping techniques for well-known websites like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart.
Hiring Third Parties to Undertake the Task on Your Behalf
Outsourcing can be vital when a no-code solution cannot address your challenge. Numerous web scraping companies and autonomous contractors can help you with your needs for web data extraction. For this method, you can follow two different approaches:
Freelancers
Freelancers offer the most versatile remedy since they can adjust their code to fit any website. The output format can be whatever you envision, including CSV, JSON, and then dumping your data into a SQL database.
Scraping Companies
Web scraping companies are vital, particularly for extensive scraping operations. It would be challenging for a single freelancer to finish everything, especially if you need to create and maintain scrapers for numerous websites.
Summing Up
Comprehension of data extraction from websites can appear complex if you are not tech-savvy. It can also be tedious, time-consuming, full of errors, and sometimes complicated and frustrating. That is why many web data analysis efforts apply automated tools. This article outlined three distinct methods for how to extract data from a website. Be sure to choose one that best suit your needs and budget based on the kind of scraping operation you need to perform.
