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What are APIs?
APIs allow different software applications to communicate with each other through standardized protocols — this allows data and information to be shared between platforms. APIs enable businesses to pull data from various external sources, databases, or services in a structured and automated way. This type of data integration is crucial for businesses that need to consolidate information from multiple sources.
Why would you want to combine Excel data with API data?
Combining Excel data with API data allows organizations to enhance their existing datasets with real-time information, creating more comprehensive and accurate analyses.
- Enrich historical data stored in Excel with current market information.
- Automate the process of updating static spreadsheets with dynamic data.
- Create more comprehensive reports by combining internal metrics with external data.
- Validate and cross-reference existing data against authoritative sources.
- Enable real-time decision making by combining stored and live data.
Explore and learn more about Parabola
Use Parabola to bring your disparate data and documents together, then tackle your most complex processes with ease
Data transformation
Clean, standardize, and manipulate your data and make it actionable
Data storage
Architect new tables and store millions of rows of data
Data visualization
Build customizable visualizations to uncover new insights
Want to test out this process yourself?
Open the template, sign up, and get started
Pull from Excel file
Pull from API
How to use Excel with Parabola
Parabola makes working with Excel data intuitive and powerful through its drag-and-drop interface.
- Seamlessly import Excel files without any coding or complex setup
- Maintain data structure and formatting during the import process
- Transform Excel data using familiar operations in a visual environment
Retrieving data from Excel
Parabola's Pull from Excel file step allows users to easily import their spreadsheet data into their Flow. This step handles various Excel file formats and automatically recognizes column headers and data types, making it simple to begin working with your data immediately.
Key features
- Automatic column type detection
- Support for multiple sheets within a workbook
- Preservation of data formatting
- Handling of merged cells
- Error checking and validation
How to use
- Add the Pull from Excel file step to your Flow
- Upload your Excel file
- Select the specific sheet you want to import
- Configure any additional import settings
- Preview your data before proceeding
How to use APIs with Parabola
Parabola simplifies API integration by providing a user-friendly interface for connecting to external data sources.
- Visual API configuration without coding requirements
- Built-in authentication handling
- Automatic data formatting and parsing
Retrieving data from APIs
The Pull from API step in Parabola enables users to connect to virtually any API endpoint and retrieve data in real-time. This step handles authentication, request formatting, and response parsing automatically, making it accessible to users regardless of their technical expertise.
Key features
- Support for multiple authentication methods
- Automatic JSON parsing
- Custom header configuration
- Rate limiting protection
- Error handling and retry logic
How to use
- Add the Pull from API step to your Flow
- Enter the API endpoint URL
- Configure authentication settings
- Set up any required parameters, headers, pagination, and rate limiting settings
- Test the connection and preview data
Combining Excel and API data
After retrieving data from both sources, the Combine Tables step in Parabola allows users to merge their Excel and API data seamlessly. This powerful feature enables users to create enriched datasets that leverage both historical and real-time information.
Key features
- Multiple matching methods
- Flexible column mapping
- Duplicate handling
- Error checking
- Preview functionality
How to use
- Add the Combine Tables step to your Flow
- Select your Excel and API data sources
- Choose matching columns for combination
- Configure how to handle unmatched records
- Preview the combined dataset
Practical use cases and examples
Product inventory management
Combine internal inventory records from Excel with real-time pricing data from supplier APIs to maintain accurate and competitive pricing strategies while monitoring stock levels.
Customer data enrichment
Merge customer contact lists from Excel with additional demographic data from third-party APIs to create more detailed customer profiles for marketing and analysis.
Financial reporting automation
Combine historical financial data stored in Excel with current market rates and currency exchange data from APIs to create automated, up-to-date financial reports.
By using Parabola to combine Excel and API data, organizations can automate their data processes and create more dynamic, accurate, and valuable insights. The visual nature of Parabola's Canvas (where Flows are built) makes it accessible to users of all technical levels, while its powerful features ensure that complex data operations can be handled with ease.
