As technology and the internet have evolved over the years, the terms we associate with it also changed, and new terms were given to different processes. One of these terms is data parsing. You may or may not have come across this term, especially if you’re a frequent internet user and definitely if you know coding. While the term sounds complex, it’s quite simple and a very necessary process at its base.
In this article, we’ll be looking at what data parsing is, the types of data parsing, and how it’s used. We’ll also mention a few tools such as lxml and BeautifulSoup to build your own data parser. To find out more about the newer Python library lxml, click here.
We’ll be covering the following topics on data parsing in this article:
● What is data parsing?
● Types of data parsing
● Where is data parsing used?
● Why does data parsing matter?
What Is Data Parsing?
Data parsing is taking data in a raw format and changing it into another format that is readable and usable. As simple as this explanation may sound, the process of data parsing is much more complex. Any data found on the internet is usually in a format that most of us cannot read or understand. This is because the internet communicates with itself in its language. Data parsers are the tools responsible for scanning through that raw data and returning it to the viewer in a way that they can understand.
It’s also important to note that data parsers only work in the coding language they were written in. This could be Python, Javascript, C++, or others. These coding languages usually have libraries such as BeautifulSoup or lxml in Python that handle XML and HTML data files. Python is one of the most used coding languages for building parsers, and BeautifulSoup has always been a great tool. Now, lxml is rising to the forefront as another library that stands out for its ease of programming and performance. Other coding languages can also be used; it just depends on the user’s preference.
Types Of Data Parsing
There are two different parsing methods. Top-down and bottom-up parsing. The biggest difference between the two is the order in which the parse tree nodes are generated. However, since they both are quite adaptable, they can be used with various technologies.
Top-Down Parsing
A top-down parser starts by looking at the highest level of the parse tree and starts from the very first symbol, i.e. the root of the syntax. It then works its way down in chronological order. A top-down parser is easy to build and is decently powerful to use. It may be slightly slower than a bottom-up parser.
Bottom-Up Parsing
A bottom-up parser looks at the lower details of the parse tree first and then moves upwards to the top structures and finally the root of the syntax. A bottom-up parser is much more difficult to build than a top-down parser, but it is much faster and more powerful since it looks at the details first and then fills in the gaps.
Where Is Data Parsing Used?
Parsers can be found all around you on the internet. They are fundamental because different entities need the data in different formats. An example of this is programs or software. These are written by humans using coding language; however, these instructions need to be executed by a machine. So, humans write the program in a language they understand, and then the parser converts it into a language the machine can understand.
A few examples of data parsing around you include:
● Search engines parse the content from downloaded web pages collected by crawlers, and the parsed information is used for browsing.
● In web scraping, a data parser converts the collected data to a readable format.
● If you click on a button or tab on a website, a data parser converts your instruction into a format that the website understands so it can recall the necessary information. This information goes through the parser again to become readable for the user.
Why Does Data Parsing Matter?
Data parsers make it possible to identify the structure and extract the content on the internet. It is a critical process as different programs require data in other formats. Parsing allows you to change the content to be understood by machines where humans write the software, but machines need to execute it. A data parser is an essential middleman that brings humans and machines together so that they can each communicate and understand in their own language.
Final Thoughts
Data parsing may seem like such a simple process, but it’s extremely important in how we create programs and communicate with the internet. Nothing on the internet would make sense to us without data parsers, and machines won’t know how to execute programs.