How to add monitors on multiple items at once? (Bulk Monitor)

Need to track changes across a large number of web pages? Our Bulk Monitor feature can help you with that. You can set up monitors for up to 50,000 URLs with just a few clicks, saving you time and effort while keeping you informed about important updates.

What is Bulk Monitoring?

In essence, Bulk Monitor combines the power of the Bulk Run and Monitor features. It allows you to apply change monitoring to multiple items simultaneously, either from an existing bulk run task or directly within Tables.

The Bulk Monitor feature eliminates the need to configure individual monitors for each URL, streamlining your workflow and dramatically enhancing your monitoring capabilities – all in a fraction of the time.

How to use Bulk Monitoring

There are two main ways to utilize this feature

1. From a bulk run task:

• Step 1: Navigate and go to an existing bulk run task in your chosen robot, like so:

  

• Step 2: Click on View Data in Tables:

  

• Step 3: Click on Manage Monitoring -> Config Monitoring for All.

  

• Step 4: A dialog box will appear, allowing you to configure your monitor's frequency, and other settings for all the URLs in your bulk run.

• Step 5: Once everything is as you set it to be, click on Confirm.

• Step 6: You'll then see a list of the monitors created per item on your robot's Monitor tab:

  

  
  

2. Directly on Tables:

• Step 1: Select the robot you want to use for monitoring.

• Step 2: Click on the Tables tab:

  

• Step 3: Once you're in Tables, click on Import CSV.

  • Depending on how many items there are, the button may be floating at the bottom-left corner:

    

• Step 4: A new sub-window will appear on the right-most corner of your screen. Upload your CSV file containing the URLs you want to monitor:

  

• Step 5: After uploading it, and map your data (E.g., Origin URLs, etc.,), like so:

  

• Step 6: Configure your monitoring settings (frequency, etc.) for all the URLs in your table.

• Step 7: Click on the Start Extracting Data button to initiate both the bulk run, and the adding of the monitors for each item:

  

Configuring Your Monitor

When setting up your monitor, you have two scheduling options:

• Basic Scheduling: This allows you to set the frequency (e.g., daily, weekly), days of the week, and approximate time of day for the monitor to run:

  

• Advanced Scheduling (RRULE): This allows you to create more complex and flexible schedules using the RRULE standard. This is useful for scenarios where you need more granular control over the monitoring schedule, such as running the monitor on specific dates or at irregular intervals.

When is Bulk Monitoring useful?

Bulk Monitoring is particularly helpful when you need to track changes across a large number of specific web pages or searches. This is especially useful when compared to deep scraping, where you might be extracting data from dynamic URLs that change frequently.

Here are a few scenarios or use cases where Bulk Monitor shines:

• Track price changes for a specific set of products on a competitor website.
• Monitor stock availability for a defined list of products on an e-commerce platform.
• Stay updated on new job openings across a selected list of company websites or job boards.
• Track changes on specific pages of news articles or specific blog posts to stay informed about any updates, additions, or modifications therein.

We're always here to help you get the most out of Browse AI. If you have any questions about bulk monitoring or any other aspect of the platform, just reach out to our support team. We're happy to assist!

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