Data extractors are tools or software designed to gather and retrieve specific information from various sources, such as websites, databases, or documents. They help users automate the process of collecting data, making it easier to analyze and utilize for different purposes, like research or business intelligence. These extractors can operate in different ways, including web scraping, where they pull data from web pages, or database querying, where they access structured data from databases. By streamlining data collection, data extractors save time and reduce the potential for human error in data handling.