Getting Data into Excel

Cliddy

Does anyone know how to export financial data from for instance Fidelity onto Excel (2000) . I've tried the exporting data facility etc. but the problem I have is that the Funds data is beyond a password and therefore the page won't load automatically. I have tried a dummy "public" screen on the BBC, just to prove I'm using the facility correctly. Does anyone know of an alternative site I can use to still track my funds perhaps, that won't have the password in the way. Obviously it's important the data is in same format each load so that it can be further manipulated within Excel. Help ?

geewhiz

Are you exporting from the web page, it would be easier importing in Excel by going to Data, Get External Data, From Web. It doesn't matter if you need to log into the site or not as it will still load and if you really wanted to you can write a script to do this for you.

If this isn't what you want how about something like this ?

Cliddy

Thanks for this. It was importing I was trying to do. As I said I got the gist of it right by testing on any old BBC screen and the import worked fine. But I can't load from a Fidelity screen because it always seems to go back to before the log on screen whatever address details I put in. I looked at your suggestions they look a bit sophisticated for me ! Thanks though. I have tried looking for a "widget" that might do it, but again no luck.

PhilCo_2

As a last resort, does copy & paste not work?

buglawton

If you install the great free Excel add-in called ASAP Utilities, it has a function to 'clean up' data imported from web pages.

john_s_2

If you use Firefox then I recommend the TableTools extension (search it on the Mozilla site).

This assumes the data is stored in an HTML table (I'd be surprised if it isn't).

Among other uses it gives you a right-click option of copying the table contents as "Tab Delimited". So you merely have to right click within the table (don't have to select it) and choose "Copy table as tab delimited" from the menu. Then paste into Excel.

Touch wood, voila!

Cliddy

Thanks for all this. On IE by the way. I have a feeling most of these suggestions are based on cut and pasting from the web site. I need it more automated than that. One problem I have seen is that the web page address (at top of browser) doesn't change between the log on screen and the actual data screen following. Hence the reason it keeps going back to log on ! I appear to be running out of options, but as we all know it is possible somehow !

Cliddy

I have the feeling help is running out for me here, but to sum up I clearly have two problems
1.. the web page with the actual data doesn't appear to have a unique address (that I can see) so sends me back to before the password.
2.. the facility within Excel to browse to the web page and help select the address and data fields, again appears to not work.

john_s_2

From experience (and I'm at the edge of my knowledge here) an address that stays the same is either down to the website using frames or javascript links.

If the former then you can usually reveal the actual URL of the page (or more correctly, the frame) by right clicking the link to it and opening in a new tab. As for javascript links I'm afraid I don't know.

Although as you have to log in to get to this page I'm not sure that knowing its URL will help? Maybe you can automate the logging in procedure using VBA? (I know very little about VBA...)

Not much help but just kicking a few ideas around in case any of them inspire someone!

Cliddy

Many thanks for continuing to help. Will try the right clicking idea. But I think I'm missing something here. I need to log in to get the data, but the URL displayed is still the same as pre log-in (so obviously no data displayed). If your idea of right clicking works, then great, but.........
To put it another way, perhaps a more understandable example....... if I log on to my internet banking, get to my statement page, should I be able to input a unique URL into Excel that will go straight to the current (updated) statement page and export to excel, each time I refresh it (Excel), WITHOUT having to log in each time ?
Also deep in the thread below the point about Excel not behaving as it should do is relevant. If it was working as stated in the help pages it would find the URL of the page I'm on and highlight the tables I required. Instead I am entering it manually. Say the word and I'll give up and get a life ! Thanks so far.

Cliddy

Just answered my own question re. bank account. Logged on, went to statement, got URL for that page, exported it to Excel. Closed down bank, refreshed link and it went straight to........ you guessed it... the log on screen. I don't give up easily, but I might now !!!