Data Parsing: The Basic, the Easy, and the Difficult | OxyCast #3

Data parsing is a process of converting data from one format to another. Usually, it’s done with the intention to transform raw data into something easy to read and understand. That’s why web scraping and data parsing go hand in hand – the scraped data is typically delivered in HTML, which is difficult to read and interpret.

However, data parsing can be a difficult task in itself, even for the most experienced developers. For example, it may be challenging for the parsing tool to adapt to different website layouts or newly added features.

In today’s episode of OxyCast, the host, Augustinas Kalvis, and a special guest – Povilas Kudriavcevas (both are Software Engineers at Oxylabs), will discuss data parsing basics and go through the easy and the difficult parts of the process. Augustinas and Povilas will also explain how to parse an item and speculate what may be the future of data parsing.*

In this podcast episode, you’ll learn:
- What the process of parsing an item is like
- Writing a good selector
- How to monitor a parser
- Practices of testing a parser
- Making the parser scalable
- How to handle constant website layout changes

*Information provided in this episode is based on our clients’ use of Oxylabs’ innovative solutions and tools for scraping publicly available data.

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Oxylabs is a premium proxy service provider that offers tools and resources for public data collection. The company believes that every business, big or small, needs access to valuable public data.

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