Data Mining: Web Scraping and Other Methods

This course covers a range of approaches to web scraping.

Starting from the most simple requests-based queries the course covers the more scalable approaches using APIs and libraries to store and automate web scraping processes.

Suitability

This course is for Tech Analysts, S&T Analysts (optionally).

Learning Outcomes

Participants will be able to:

  • Describe simple use cases for web scraping
  • Implement one simple and one richer, more complex hands-on approaches to web scraping with 3rd-party and core libraries such as requests, scrapy and BeautifulSoup
  • Discuss the importance of ethics, compliance and regulation in harvesting data from non-standard sources

Course Content

  • Orientation: use cases for web-scraping, e.g. Company reports for non-listed companies, automated updates of core public data, social media search (via API)
  • Technical prerequisites for web requests:
    • HTTP headers
    • Dealing with authentication
    • Different output formats (HTML, JSON, etc)
  • Workshop 1: download a data file using Python’s request library. dealing with web pages: the HTML DOM
  • Workshop 2: request and parse HTML from a Google keyword search. Storing/ analysing results of web scraping:
  • Workshop 3: Build a Yield Curve using web scraping

100%

of our clients would recommend Alpha to a colleague or peer

90%

of a cohort was promoted within 2 years after participating in an Alpha course.

96%

of participants felt more confident in their role, following an Alpha commercial leadership course.

Why study with Alpha?

Innovation and creativity born from experience

We are thought leaders in instructional and learning journey design and holistic solution architects. We have extensive finance and investments experience combined with skills application to deliver performance improving results. We develop immersive learning environments that maximize time to productivity, support talent retention and added value to improving quality of hires.

Knowledge Exchange Evangelists

We are focused on mining the embedded organisational intellectual capital for the benefit of the next generation. We create and curate best in class practice gathered from our experience with the leading financial institutions. We design our programmes with the end in mind – what results are you trying to achieve with this intervention? What metrics will we set ourselves to achieve that?

Generation Proof

Quality and innovation, using current market and industry best practices, have made us a trusted partner in delivering dynamic and motivating training for the financial and capital markets. Our programmes are generation proof and responsive to evolving learner needs and styles. Our solutions use a multi-stakeholder engagement strategy that expands beyond relationships between the learner and learning provider. We create connections with managers, peers and the wider business to drive impactful return on investment..

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The team are so friendly and pleasant to work with, everyone is very professional and keen to help us. Building a relationship over the past couple of years helps us to feel like the Alpha team are even more able to understand our needs and provide more proactive solutions.
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