Screen Scrapping

Screen scraping is a method for extracting data displayed on a screen for use in other applications. It is commonly employed to gather information from one application and transfer it to another, although it can also be used, controversially, to illegally obtain data.

This technique collects visual data, including text, images, or charts, from a desktop, application, or website in the form of plain text.

In comparison to manual data collection, using automated processes like screen scraping to retrieve display data is significantly quicker and more efficient.

Screen scraping can be conducted automatically using specialized scraping software or manually by an individual extracting the data. Scraping programs are designed to identify and recognize elements within a user interface (UI), extracting data and converting it into text. If the displayed information includes images, screen scraping utilizes optical character recognition (OCR) technology to gather the necessary data.

Simplified Explanation:
Screen scraping is akin to taking a screenshot of a computer screen and employing software to extract specific details from that image. This information can encompass anything from text to numbers to images, automating the process of collecting data from one location and transferring it to another.

Example Uses:

• Collecting prices from various online retailers
• Gathering contact details from a website
• Extracting information from a PDF file

Benefits:

• Speed: Much faster than manually copying and pasting data.
• Efficiency: Automates repetitive tasks.
• Data Analysis: Facilitates the collection of large volumes of data for analysis.

Downsides:

• Legal Issues: Screen scraping can sometimes breach copyright laws or violate terms of service.
• Technical Challenges: It can be complex, particularly with dynamic websites.
• Data Quality: The quality of extracted data may vary depending on the screen layout and image quality.

One of the largest use cases for screen scraping is in the banking sector. This means that one of the main applications of this screen scraping technique is in the banking industry.

• Lenders can use screen scraping to collect financial data from customers. This means that banks or financial institutions can utilize this technology to automatically gather financial information from various sources, such as other bank accounts, for purposes like credit assessment.
• Screen scraping can also be used for mortgage provider applications. Applications that help individuals obtain home loans can also use screen scraping to gather financial data from potential borrowers.
• Financial service applications can use screen scraping to access multiple bank accounts of a user and collect all the information in one place. This means that financial applications can gather data from various bank accounts owned by a single person and present it in a unified view.
• However, users must completely trust the application, as they are entrusting their accounts, customer data, and passwords to it. This is an important caution. When someone uses an application that performs screen scraping, they are granting access to their highly sensitive personal information. Therefore, they must be confident that the application is secure and trustworthy.
• An organization can use screen scraping to translate old application programs to a new user interface so that the logic and data associated with the old program can continue to be accessed. This means companies can use screen scraping to migrate data and functions from an old system to a new one with a more modern interface without having to rewrite all the code from scratch.
• However, this option is rarely used and is usually chosen only when other methods are impractical. This is because screen scraping for this purpose can become complicated and inefficient, especially if the old and new systems are very different. Typically, companies will try to find easier alternatives for data migration.