Parsing
The process of analyzing and converting text or data from one format into a structured form that a program can work with.
What is parsing?
Parsing is the process by which a program reads input data (text, JSON, HTML, PDF) and breaks it down into a structured form it can work with. Think of it as translating a handwritten note into a clearly written, well-structured document.
Examples of parsing in AI automation
- JSON parsing: Extracting a specific value (email, name) from an API response
- HTML parsing: Extracting text from a web page during web scraping
- PDF parsing: Converting a scanned document to text for RAG
- Email parsing: Extracting order data from an incoming message
Parsing LLM output
LLM models can return structured output (JSON), which then needs to be parsed for passing to the next step of an automation. Modern models support structured outputs, which guarantee a valid format.