Help needed - How to extract or Input XLS file from URL

[OriginalAdrian]

Hi All, 

First off thank you for the amazing Inspire 2016. Hope to see you all again next year. This is my first community post!

Here is an example of what I am trying to accomplish.

This web site - http://www.realtor.org/topics/pending-home-sales has an XLS file that is updated every month. ( PHSI Overview Chart ) 

I can create an API via a webscrapping tool to grab me the URL every month and return it as a csv.

This may sound like a stupid question, but once I have a text input that defines what the URL of the XLS file is, how do I then have alteryx import the file behind that URL?

In this case the url is    http://www.realtor.org/sites/default/files/reports/2016/embargoes/phs-5-26/phs-04-2016-pending-home-...

Thank you!

[RodL · Accepted solution]

Here's a basic macro that will get the functionality that I think you want.

You would just connect your API process that results in the URL into the macro and point to the field that has that URL. (Note it is a batch macro, so could actually download multiple spreadsheets from the same site.

You can look at my annotations as to where you would need to make adjustments for your specific environment.

There are probably more elegant approaches, but this should get you started.

[OriginalAdrian]

Thank you!