topic Scrape data from a webpage in SAS Programming

Scrape data from a webpage

HabAM — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 01:06:54 GMT

How do you save the titles on the 'US - Based Outbreak' container using SAS?

https://www.cdc.gov/outbreaks/index.html

(EDIT via Reeza to fix the link)

Re: Scrap data from a webpage

ChrisBrooks — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 23:29:31 GMT

I get "Page not Found" when I click on your link but in any case SAS isn't a Web Scraping Tool - I'd use something like the Python library Beautiful Soup for that

Re: Scrape data from a webpage

ChrisHemedinger — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 11:46:06 GMT

I noticed that the CDC offers a lot of RSS feeds -- XML representations of the data on their site.

Using SAS, you can use PROC HTTP to fetch the XML, and then the XMLV2 libname engine to read that information as data.

You'll have to find the proper RSS feed for your needs. They have many of them listed here. Here's a working example with one of their feeds.

filename rssmap temp;
data _null_;
infile datalines;
file rssmap;
input;
put _infile_;
datalines;
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1252"?>
<SXLEMAP name="RSSMAP" version="2.1">
    <NAMESPACES count="0"/>
    <!-- ############################################################ -->
    <TABLE name="item">
        <TABLE-PATH syntax="XPath">/rss/channel/item</TABLE-PATH>
        <COLUMN name="title">
            <PATH syntax="XPath">/rss/channel/item/title</PATH>
            <TYPE>character</TYPE>
            <DATATYPE>string</DATATYPE>
            <LENGTH>250</LENGTH>
        </COLUMN>
        <COLUMN name="link">
            <PATH syntax="XPath">/rss/channel/item/link</PATH>
            <TYPE>character</TYPE>
            <DATATYPE>string</DATATYPE>
            <LENGTH>200</LENGTH>
        </COLUMN>
        <COLUMN name="pubDate">
            <PATH syntax="XPath">/rss/channel/item/pubDate</PATH>
            <TYPE>character</TYPE>
            <DATATYPE>string</DATATYPE>
            <LENGTH>40</LENGTH>
        </COLUMN>
    </TABLE>
</SXLEMAP>
;
run;


filename feed temp;
proc http
 method="get"
 url="https://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/createrss.asp?t=r&c=429."
 out=feed;
run;

libname result XMLv2 xmlfileref=feed xmlmap=rssmap;

data bulletins;
 set result.item;
 length date 8; 
 format date datetime20.;
 date = input( substr(pubDate,4),anydtdtm.);
 drop pubDate;
run;

Result:

Re: Scrap data from a webpage

HabAM — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 15:09:56 GMT

I don't know why you are not getting the link to open, i checked it again and it works. The reason I wanted to try in in SAS is I wanted to integrate it with my existing SAS reports. Thank you for the response.

Re: Scrape data from a webpage

SAS_inquisitive — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 15:13:21 GMT

There is r package called 'rvest' developed by Hadley if you are comfortable with R.

Re: Scrape data from a webpage

HabAM — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 15:15:45 GMT

Thank you. Is there a document published you recommend for me to review?

Re: Scrap data from a webpage

ChrisHemedinger — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 15:17:31 GMT

I think @Reeza edited the post and fixed the link for you -- that's why it works now.

And I found the RSS feed you need for that category:


filename feed temp;
proc http
method="get"
url="https://tools.cdc.gov/api/v2/resources/media/285676.rss"
out=feed;
run;

Re: Scrap data from a webpage

HabAM — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 15:20:31 GMT

That explains it. Thank you all.

Re: Scrape data from a webpage

Pranjal — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 06:15:35 GMT

Am unable to use the above code if I try to scrap :

https://nps.magicbricks.com/npsScript/nps.js?1.337

https://static.99acres.com//js/99a-jquery-min.min.cc529ce92.js

Re: Scrape data from a webpage

Pranjal — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 06:17:09 GMT

filename rssmap temp;
data _null_;
infile datalines;
file rssmap;
input;
put _infile_;
datalines;
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1252"?>
<SXLEMAP name="RSSMAP" version="2.1">
    <NAMESPACES count="0"/>
    
    <TABLE name="item">
        <TABLE-PATH syntax="XPath">/rss/channel/item</TABLE-PATH>
        <COLUMN name="title">
            <PATH syntax="XPath">/rss/channel/item/title</PATH>
            <TYPE>character</TYPE>
            <DATATYPE>string</DATATYPE>
            <LENGTH>250</LENGTH>
        </COLUMN>
        <COLUMN name="link">
            <PATH syntax="XPath">/rss/channel/item/link</PATH>
            <TYPE>character</TYPE>
            <DATATYPE>string</DATATYPE>
            <LENGTH>200</LENGTH>
        </COLUMN>
        <COLUMN name="pubDate">
            <PATH syntax="XPath">/rss/channel/item/pubDate</PATH>
            <TYPE>character</TYPE>
            <DATATYPE>string</DATATYPE>
            <LENGTH>40</LENGTH>
        </COLUMN>
    </TABLE>
</SXLEMAP>
;
run;

filename feed temp;
proc http
method="get"
url="https://nps.magicbricks.com/npsScript/nps.js?1.337"
out=feed;
run;

libname result XMLv2 xmlfileref=feed xmlmap=rssmap;

data bulletins;
set result.item;
length date 8;
format date datetime20.;
date = input( substr(pubDate,4),anydtdtm.);
drop pubDate;
run;

Error in xml

Re: Scrape data from a webpage

ChrisHemedinger — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 13:09:56 GMT

@Pranjal - what are you trying to get from this "page"? The URL you supplied is a javascript file, not XML. Please post the details of what you need in a different question, rather than add to this solved topic.