Having trouble with XML phase on VBA Excel - excel

Question

I need to parse a XML file having the structure as follows: (I can't show the data as it is confidential)
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GACDWBulkLoadInterface xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.example.org/GACDWSchema GACDWSchema.xsd" xmlns="http://www.example.org/GACDWSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<BLConfiguration>
<BLProperties>
<BLProperty>
<key>isEmpty</key>
<value xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xsi:type="xsd:boolean">true</value>
</BLProperty>
</BLProperties>
<version>api-ag-1.1.68-20210315-43</version>
</BLConfiguration>
<Customer>
<CustomerID></CustomerID>
<Customer_Name></Customer_Name>
<ISOCountryCode></ISOCountryCode>
<customerType></customerType>
<dataSourceProvider></dataSourceProvider>
<function></function>
<TopLevelCI>
<Contact Action="Create">
<Id>4</Id>
<artifactType></artifactType>
<contactType></contactType>
<email></email>
<firstName></firstName>
<lastName></lastName>
<userID></userID>
<ChildCI/>
</Contact>
<PhysicalComputerSystem Action="Create">
<Id>2</Id>
<artifactType></artifactType>
<assetLifeCycleState></assetLifeCycleState>
<category></category>
<ciLifeCycleState></ciLifeCycleState>
<custname></custname>
<description></description>
<discontinuedDate></discontinuedDate>
<machineType></machineType>
<managed></managed>
<manufacturer></manufacturer>
<model></model>
<serialNumber></serialNumber>
<virtualFlag></virtualFlag>
<ChildCI>
<PhysicalComputerSystemContact Action="Create">
<contactUID></contactUID>
</PhysicalComputerSystemContact>
<PhysicalComputerSystemLocation Action="Create">
<buildingID></buildingID>
<buildingName></buildingName>
<city></city>
<countryName></countryName>
<isoCountryCode></isoCountryCode>
<postalCode></postalCode>
<siteName></siteName>
<stateProvince></stateProvince>
<streetAddress></streetAddress>
</PhysicalComputerSystemLocation>
</ChildCI>
</PhysicalComputerSystem>
<OperatingSystem Action="Create">
<Id>1</Id>
<aliasHostname></aliasHostname>
<artifactType></artifactType>
<assetLifeCycleState></assetLifeCycleState>
<backupContr></backupContr>
<barSaId></barSaId>
<cacfCustomGroup></cacfCustomGroup>
<category></category>
<ciLifeCycleState></ciLifeCycleState>
<classification></classification>
<cpuCount></cpuCount>
<description></description>
<discontinuedDate></discontinuedDate>
<fqhn></fqhn>
<hostsystemID></hostsystemID>
<hostsystemType></hostsystemType>
<installationDate></installationDate>
<ipAddress></ipAddress>
<majorBusProc></majorBusProc>
<managed></managed>
<memory></memory>
<memoryUnit></memoryUnit>
<osModLevel></osModLevel>
<osName></osName>
<osBuildNumber></osBuildNumber>
<osProvider></osProvider>
<osRelease></osRelease>
<osVersion></osVersion>
<prodDate></prodDate>
<purgeDate></purgeDate>
<purpose></purpose>
<securityClass></securityClass>
<serverType></serverType>
<supportEnddate></supportEnddate>
<useAliasHostname></useAliasHostname>
<virtualFlag></virtualFlag>
<ChildCI>
<OperatingSystemContact Action="Create">
<contactUID></contactUID>
</OperatingSystemContact>
<OperatingSystemEnvironmentProfile Action="Create">
<authFlag></authFlag>
<authExceptDate></authExceptDate>
<authExceptReasonCode></authExceptReasonCode>
<authExceptText></authExceptText>
<disasterRecSys></disasterRecSys>
<domain></domain>
<extUsersMax></extUsersMax>
<hcAutoInterv></hcAutoInterv>
<hcExceptDate></hcExceptDate>
<hcExceptReasonCode></hcExceptReasonCode>
<hcExceptText></hcExceptText>
<hcUnit></hcUnit>
<healthchAutoFlag></healthchAutoFlag>
<highestClientDataClassification></highestClientDataClassification>
<highestDataClassification></highestDataClassification>
<highestIbmDataClassification></highestIbmDataClassification>
<ibmCbnInterval></ibmCbnInterval>
<ibmCbnRequired></ibmCbnRequired>
<ibmCbnType></ibmCbnType>
<ibmCbnUnit></ibmCbnUnit>
<ibmPrivIDUnit></ibmPrivIDUnit>
<ibmPrivType></ibmPrivType>
<ibmQevFlag></ibmQevFlag>
<ibmQevInterval></ibmQevInterval>
<ibmQevUnit></ibmQevUnit>
<ibmUsersMax></ibmUsersMax>
<internetAccFlag></internetAccFlag>
<personalData></personalData>
<privIDFlag></privIDFlag>
<privIDInterv></privIDInterv>
<regulatoryRequirements></regulatoryRequirements>
<remediationtimeHi></remediationtimeHi>
<remediationtimeLo></remediationtimeLo>
<remediationtimeMd></remediationtimeMd>
<rerFlag></rerFlag>
<rerInterv></rerInterv>
<rerType></rerType>
<rerUnit></rerUnit>
<scExceptDate></scExceptDate>
<scExceptReasonCode></scExceptReasonCode>
<scExceptText></scExceptText>
<secExemptionDesc></secExemptionDesc>
<secExemptionFlag></secExemptionFlag>
<securityPackage></securityPackage>
<securityPolicyCategory></securityPolicyCategory>
<securityPolicyOther></securityPolicyOther>
<securityPolicyType></securityPolicyType>
<serverPurpose></serverPurpose>
<sharedIDFlag></sharedIDFlag>
<shrdExceptDate></shrdExceptDate>
<shrdExceptReasonCode></shrdExceptReasonCode>
<shrdExceptText></shrdExceptText>
<vitalBusProcessYN></vitalBusProcessYN>
</OperatingSystemEnvironmentProfile>
<OperatingSystemIpAddress Action="Create">
<dotnotation></dotnotation>
<hostName></hostName>
<isPrimaryIpHost></isPrimaryIpHost>
<name></name>
<netMask></netMask>
<vsExceptDate></vsExceptDate>
<vsExceptReasonCode></vsExceptReasonCode>
<vsExceptText></vsExceptText>
<vulScanUnit></vulScanUnit>
<vulscanAutoFlag></vulscanAutoFlag>
<vulscanAutoInterval></vulscanAutoInterval>
</OperatingSystemIpAddress>
</ChildCI>
</OperatingSystem>
<Subsystem Action="Create">
<Id>3</Id>
<applSIDataType></applSIDataType>
<artifactType></artifactType>
<assetLifeCycleState></assetLifeCycleState>
<ciLifeCycleState></ciLifeCycleState>
<controlProductName></controlProductName>
<controlProductRelease></controlProductRelease>
<controlProductType></controlProductType>
<controlProductVendor></controlProductVendor>
<controlProductVersion></controlProductVersion>
<description></description>
<discontinuedDate></discontinuedDate>
<fqhn></fqhn>
<managed></managed>
<name></name>
<parentUID></parentUID>
<piFlag></piFlag>
<productModLevel></productModLevel>
<productName></productName>
<productPatchLevel></productPatchLevel>
<productRelease></productRelease>
<productVersion></productVersion>
<purgeDate></purgeDate>
<scanTime></scanTime>
<vendorName></vendorName>
<ChildCI>
<SubsystemContact Action="Create">
<contactUID></contactUID>
</SubsystemContact>
<SubsystemEnvironmentProfile Action="Create">
<authFlag></authFlag>
<authExceptDate></authExceptDate>
<authExceptReasonCode></authExceptReasonCode>
<authExceptText></authExceptText>
<disasterRecSys></disasterRecSys>
<hcAutoInterv></hcAutoInterv>
<hcExceptDate></hcExceptDate>
<hcExceptReasonCode></hcExceptReasonCode>
<hcExceptText></hcExceptText>
<hcUnit></hcUnit>
<healthchAutoFlag></healthchAutoFlag>
<ibmCbnInterval></ibmCbnInterval>
<ibmCbnRequired></ibmCbnRequired>
<ibmCbnType></ibmCbnType>
<ibmCbnUnit></ibmCbnUnit>
<ibmPrivIDUnit></ibmPrivIDUnit>
<ibmPrivType></ibmPrivType>
<ibmQevFlag></ibmQevFlag>
<ibmQevInterval></ibmQevInterval>
<ibmQevUnit></ibmQevUnit>
<privIDFlag></privIDFlag>
<privIDInterv></privIDInterv>
<rerFlag></rerFlag>
<rerInterv></rerInterv>
<rerType></rerType>
<rerUnit></rerUnit>
<scExceptDate></scExceptDate>
<scExceptReasonCode></scExceptReasonCode>
<scExceptText></scExceptText>
<sharedIDFlag></sharedIDFlag>
<shrdExceptDate></shrdExceptDate>
<shrdExceptReasonCode></shrdExceptReasonCode>
<shrdExceptText></shrdExceptText>
<vitalBusProcessYN></vitalBusProcessYN>
</SubsystemEnvironmentProfile>
</ChildCI>
</Subsystem>
</TopLevelCI>
<Relationship>
<RelationshipName>Hosted_by</RelationshipName>
<sourceCIType>OperatingSystem</sourceCIType>
<targetCIType>OperatingSystem</targetCIType>
</Relationship>
<Relationship>
<RelationshipName>Runs_on</RelationshipName>
<sourceCIType>Subsystem</sourceCIType>
<targetCIType>OperatingSystem</targetCIType>
</Relationship>
<Relationship>
<RelationshipName>Runs_on_hw</RelationshipName>
<sourceCIType>OperatingSystem</sourceCIType>
<targetCIType>PhysicalComputerSystem</targetCIType>
</Relationship>
</Customer>
</GACDWBulkLoadInterface>
I have researched and come up with my VBA code here
Sub ReadXML()
Dim oXML As MSXML2.DOMDocument60
Dim vaFile As Variant
Set oXML = New MSXML2.DOMDocument60
'Open Browse file dialog
vaFile = Application.GetOpenFilename("XML Files (*.xml), *.xml", _
Title:="Select XML files", MultiSelect:=False)
oXML.validateOnParse = True
oXML.setProperty "SelectionLanguage", "XPath" ' necessary in version 3.0, possibly redundant here
oXML.async = False
If Not oXML.Load(vaFile) Then 'Load XML has gone bad
Dim xPE As Object ' Set xPE = CreateObject("MSXML2.IXMLDOMParseError")
Dim strErrText As String
Set xPE = oXML.parseError
With xPE
strErrText = "Load error " & .ErrorCode & " xml file " & vbCrLf & _
Replace(.URL, "file:///", "") & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
xPE.reason & _
"Source Text: " & .srcText & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
"Line No.: " & .Line & vbCrLf & _
"Line Pos.: " & .linepos & vbCrLf & _
"File Pos.: " & .filepos & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
End With
MsgBox strErrText, vbExclamation
Set xPE = Nothing
Exit Sub
End If
Debug.Print "|" & oXML.XML & "|"
Dim nodeList As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNodeList, iNode As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNode
Dim Searched As String
Searched = "/*/*"
Set nodeList = oXML.SelectNodes(Searched)
'Set Queries = oXML.DocumentElement.SelectNodes(Searched)
For Each iNode In nodeList
'Debug.Print "<" & iNode.BaseName & ">"
Debug.Print "<" & iNode.nodeName & ">"
Next
However, My problem is no matter what I come up with Xpath queries. None of them work except \* or \.
I can't specific any path. Both .SelectSingleNode or .SelectNodes alway return length =0. Is there any problem with my code or my XML file or Xpath syntax?

Answer 1

As mentioned in comments your xml document has namespace definitions in its DocumentElement <GACDWBulkLoadInterface> (xmlns stands for xml name space). Furthermore "it contains a default namespace so any attempted parsing on named nodes must map to this namespace URI otherwise returns nothing."
To allow eventual analysis it's necessary to include a user defined prefix (e.g. :s) into explicit namespace settings, which can be used in later XPath expressions:
Dim oXML As MSXML2.DOMDocument60
Set oXML = New MSXML2.DOMDocument60
oXML.validateOnParse = True
Dim XMLNamespaces As String
XMLNamespaces = "xmlns:s='http://www.example.org/GACDWSchema'"
oXML.SetProperty "SelectionNamespaces", XMLNamespaces
Eventually you can define any XPath expression, e.g. the childnodes of Customer[1]:
Dim nodeList As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNodeList, iNode As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNode
Dim Searched As String
Searched = "//s:Customer/s:*"
Set nodeList = oXML.SelectNodes(Searched)
Related links
Displaying XML structures including attributes via recursive function calls
Display XML with hierarchy in cells
Apparently OP's source code: Parse DomDocument