In Excel 2002 it's easy to create a more dynamic workbook by importing data from the Web and scheduling it to refresh periodically. You don't have to know how to write scripts or interpret Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags; the entire procedure requires a few simple steps. With the improved Web Queries in Excel 2002, you now have a flexible and easy way to import text or data from a Web page into an Excel workbook.

This works especially well for data in a table format. For example, you can import a fuel consumption table to determine where you need to increase or decrease your fuel budget, or analyze stock quotes by gathering information directly from a Web page. Once the Web Query is complete, you can analyze the data using the tools and features in Excel. The New Web Query dialog box guides you through the steps.

Options for refreshing your data

With Web Queries you control how fresh your data is. You can:

• Manually refresh the data yourself.
• Set a timed schedule for the Web Query to refresh.
• Have the Web Query refresh the data whenever the workbook is opened.

Retrieving data with a Web Query

You can retrieve the following types of data with a Web Query:

• A single table
• Multiple tables
• Formatted or plain text on a Web page

Create a Web Query

1. On the Data menu, click Import External Data, and then click New Web Query.
2. Navigate to the Web site of interest and select the data you wish to collect by clicking the arrows.
3. Click Import. In the Import Data dialog box, select where you want to put the data, and click OK.

Copy and paste a Web Query

1. Copy data from a Web page and then paste it into Excel.
2. When the Paste Options button appears, click the down arror, and then select Create Refreshable Web Query.
3. The New Web Query dialog box appears. Click the arrows to select the data of interest, and then click Import.

Web Query from Internet Explorer

1. Navigate to the Web page of interest.
2. On the Internet Explorer toolbar, click the Edit with button, and select Edit with Microsoft Excel.
3. The New Web Query dialog box appears. Click the arrows to select the data of interest, and then click Import.

Customizing your Web Queries

In the Edit Web Query dialog box, you can change:

• The address of the Web page you're querying.
• The selection of data returned from the Web page.
• The formatting and other settings by clicking the Options button in the upper-right corner.

To get to the Edit Web Query dialog box

1. On the Data menu click Import External Data.
2. Click Edit Query.

In the External Data Range Properties dialog box, you can change:

• How the query is refreshed.
• Properties of the data range returned by your query.

To get to the External Data Range Properties dialog box

1. On the Data menu click Import External Data.
2. Click Data Range Properties.

Note  If you retrieve data from a Web site, you should make sure that you are use the data in compliance with any applicable terms and conditions governing the use of the data by the owner and/or operator of that Web site.

More information

For more information about Web Queries, see Microsoft Excel Help.