Extracting XML Data in Google Sheets

[Oscar64]

I’m having difficulty importing data from a website into Google Sheets. I’m attempting to use the IMPORTXML function with the following formula:

=IMPORTXML("http://quotes.morningstar.com/fund/c-header?t=FID215", "//span[@vkey='NAV']")

However, I keep receiving an error that says the resource cannot be found. I want to retrieve the NAV value for a specific mutual fund.

Here’s what I’ve attempted so far:

• Copying the XPath from the Morningstar site using inspect element
• Modifying the URL and trying different variations

Has anyone experienced this issue? What could be wrong with my approach?

[danwilson85]

i think morningstar might be blocking those requests. u could try using importdata or see if they got an API available. a lot of finance sites don’t allow direct pulls like that.

[Tom_89Paint]

Morningstar blocks scraping hard - IMPORTXML won’t work with their data. I hit this same wall last year. These financial sites deliberately serve different content to bots versus real browsers. Plus Morningstar keeps changing their URLs specifically to stop people like us.

I switched to Alpha Vantage’s free API instead. You just need to register for an API key, then you can pull NAV values and other fund data reliably. Use IMPORTDATA with their JSON endpoints.

Alternatively, check if Google Finance has your fund - their native functions might work. Coverage is hit-or-miss depending on the fund family though.

[JackHero77]

The Problem:

You’re receiving a “resource cannot be found” error when using IMPORTXML to retrieve the NAV value from a Morningstar website. This is because Morningstar actively blocks web scraping attempts by implementing bot detection and dynamically loading content. Your XPath expression itself might be correct, but the website serves different HTML to bots compared to real browsers. Consequently, the XPath selector cannot find the expected NAV element.

Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):

Many financial websites, including Morningstar, employ techniques to prevent data scraping. These techniques include:

• Bot Detection: Websites use various methods to identify automated requests, such as analyzing user-agent headers, request patterns, and the speed of requests. If detected as a bot, the website might serve a different, limited version of the page or block the request entirely.
• Dynamic Content Loading: The NAV value might be loaded dynamically using JavaScript after the initial page load. IMPORTXML only works with the static HTML, so it won’t be able to capture this dynamically loaded data.
• URL Obfuscation: Morningstar might intentionally change its URLs to break existing scraping scripts.

Therefore, directly scraping the NAV value using IMPORTXML is unreliable and likely to fail.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Use an Alternative Data Source: Instead of scraping Morningstar, use a reliable alternative data source that provides an API for accessing mutual fund data. Several free and paid APIs exist (e.g., Alpha Vantage). This is the most robust and reliable solution.

   • Example using Alpha Vantage (requires API key): Alpha Vantage offers free API access for a limited number of calls. After obtaining your API key, you can construct a URL that returns JSON data containing the NAV. You can then use IMPORTDATA to retrieve this data into Google Sheets. See their documentation for details on available endpoints and parameters.

2. Explore Google Finance (If Applicable): Check if your specific mutual fund is supported by Google Finance. The built-in GOOGLEFINANCE function can be a simpler alternative. However, coverage isn’t universal. It may not have all mutual funds listed.

3. Verify Fund Ticker Symbol: Double-check that you are using the correct ticker symbol or identifier for the mutual fund in your IMPORTXML, IMPORTDATA, or GOOGLEFINANCE function. Even a small typo can prevent the function from finding the data.

Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:

• Rate Limits: If using a third-party API, be aware of their rate limits (the maximum number of requests per time period). Excessive requests might lead to temporary or permanent account suspension.
• API Key Management: If using an API, keep your API key secure and don’t share it publicly.
• Data Format: Be aware of the data format returned by your chosen data source (e.g., JSON, CSV). IMPORTDATA works well with CSV, while IMPORTXML is for XML and HTML scraping (which we’re trying to avoid here). You might need to adjust your formulas based on the data format.
• Error Handling: Add error handling to your Google Sheets formulas to manage cases where the data source is unavailable or the requested fund isn’t found.

Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!