Get External Data

We often must look up statistics. We can use Excel's Web Query feature to execute a Web lookup and to automatically update the data from the Internet each time you open the file.
We will create a Web query to look up team statistics.

1. Open a blank worksheet and click in A1.
2. Click Data/Import External Data/New Web Query.
3. In the Address box, enter the address of the Web page that contains the team statistics
4. For example, http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/standings.
5. Click Go.
6. Click the yellow boxes with arrows next to the blocks of text you want to import. The yellow boxes will turn green.
7. Click the Import button.

To set the Web query to run every time the file is opened:

1. Right-click a blank area of the toolbar and select External Data.
2. Click the Data Range Properties button.
3. In the Refresh Control section, select Refresh Data On File Open.
4. Click OK.

Now the spreadsheet will automatically update the data from the Internet each time the file is opened. Sometimes you may wish to take a snapshot of the data at a given time, but copying and pasting the data to another worksheet will only create another Web query that will update the next time the file is opened. To create a copy of the data that will not change automatically, follow these steps:

1. Select the data you want to copy. Click Edit/Copy.
2. Click on the cell where you want the snapshot of the data to appear.
3. Click Edit/Paste Special.
4. Click Values And Number Formats checkbox and then click OK.

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