Table of content
Okay, let’s get it straight. Data is an awesome resource for analyzing and storing records, trends, and other information. But you can make rational decisions based on this information only if it’s shown clearly. That’s why we need parsing, a method to structure raw information. Parsing allows you to save time and increase productivity by converting massive amounts of data into neat and organized formats. Only then will we get the most important bits of that data.
If you’ve found this blog post, chances are you probably have some idea of what data parsing is or at least have heard of it. So if you’re now looking for more information on what parsing can do and how to acquire parsing software, you’re in the right place.
How to choose the best parser
Simply put, parsing is a process of changing one type of data into a different kind. Parsing doesn’t have a definite converting format. Everything depends on how a parser has been built.
Let’s take web scraping as an example and see how the basic flow looks like. You select the targets you want to scrape and then receive the results. Parsing is the next step after scraping.
Scraping will give you the data you need, but it will often be in a raw HTML file that’s hard to read. Parsing will then convert the HTML file into a more readable format (for example, JSON) that you can better understand and use.
If you’re after more information, you can read more about what parsing is in our other blog post. You’ll find some interesting facts about the origins of parsing and what it means in both computer and soft sciences.
Parsing can offer you many benefits, some of which include:
A lot of information that we share with our clients and business partners comes in emails. It’s valuable but highly unstructured and scattered information that often requires manual review.
Email parsing software does all the manual work of reviewing each email for you. It extracts only the information you need. Just tell the parsing software what to look for by providing specific keywords, and it will go through your emails looking for that information. Then, the software will provide parsed data in a structured format.
Just imagine all those colorful, eye-catching resumes full of text or unique designs that HR deals with daily. Parsing software can extract information from Doc, Docx, JPG, HTML, RTF, PDF, PNG files and store the relevant data in one database. Resume parsing will help recruiters discover better candidates.
Researching stocks, brands, big companies, and start-ups, predicting earnings, and planning business strategies requires you to go through huge amounts of data. With data parsing, you can significantly cut back on time spent gathering and structuring information and focus more on the most important part - investing and generating profit.
Staying on top of the latest market trends, keeping track of your competitors’ pricing changes, monitoring SEO, and saving time: sounds too good to be true? Not with parsing. It allows you to structure and order the scraped data quickly and easily so you don’t have to worry about spending hours glued to your computer screen.
In this section, we’re going to look over the pros and cons of building a parser and buying one from a third-party provider. We’ll look at the most important factors that will help you decide which is better for your business.
Continuing the question of whether to build or not to build your parser, let’s look at the possibility of buying a parser. What are the benefits of purchasing it from a third party?
There’s certainly quite a bit to consider. However, if you’re thinking of a fully built solution, why not give us a try? Smartproxy has recently launched a new tool – No-Code Scraper.
It combines both web scraping and parsing. We strive to make everything as smooth and fast as possible, so with No-Code Scraper, you’ll get just that. You’ll be able to go through your selected targets, easily gather the information you need, and quickly have it exported in JSON or CSV.
Data parsing can undoubtedly increase your competitiveness and boost your business. Parsing enables you to navigate through vast quantities of data and narrow it down to the most relevant parts. From predicting stock growths or drops to analyzing the latest market trends, parsing can save time and increase your efficiency.
Here at Smartproxy, we are crazy about innovations and making it easier for our clients to grow their businesses. If this blog post piqued your interest, contact our awesome customer support team, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
James Keenan
Senior content writer
The automation and anonymity evangelist at Smartproxy. He believes in data freedom and everyone’s right to become a self-starter. James is here to share knowledge and help you succeed with residential proxies.
Every parsing software is built for a specific purpose. It all depends on why you need a parser and what you want to achieve with it. Don’t worry, parsing software comes with its own manual. While some parsing software requires more know-how, others are more beginner-friendly or even no-code.
If you choose our proxies or No-Code Scraper, it's incredibly easy to set up. To get No-Code Scraper running all you have to do is go to a website, click on the data you want to download, and leave all the hard work to us. No coding knowledge needed!
Web scraping can help gather massive amounts of data from your selected targets in a relatively short amount of time. The problem is that the data will be in a raw HTML format. To turn this raw data into something readable, you’ll need to parse data.
A parser can convert data into JSON, CSV, XML, table, or chart. Keep in mind that since each parsing software is built differently, converted formats will also vary.
This one’s gonna be serious. But not scary. We know how frightening the word “programming” could be for a newbie or a person with a little t...
Read moreKeepin’ it short and sweet: data parsing is a process of computer software converting unstructured and often unreadable data into structured...
Read more