SEC Data Automation with Zapier

Create a Zapier Zap that tracks insider trades via OMNI Datastream webhooks and logs them to Google Sheets with Slack notifications. Step-by-step configuration included.

SEC Data Automation with Zapier

Zapier connects thousands of apps with no-code automations called Zaps. In this tutorial you will build a Zap that receives OMNI Datastream webhook events for new insider trades (Form 4 filings), logs each trade to a Google Sheets spreadsheet, and sends a Slack notification.

Prerequisites

• An Omni Datastream API key (set as OMNI_DATASTREAM_API_KEY)
• A Zapier account (free tier supports single-step Zaps; multi-step requires a paid plan)
• A Google account with Google Sheets access
• A Slack workspace where you can post messages
• (Optional) Familiarity with the Analyze Insider Trading tutorial

Architecture overview

OMNI Datastream insider trade monitor
        |
        v
Webhook POST --> Zapier Catch Hook trigger
        |
        v
Zapier Formatter (clean data)
        |
        +--> Google Sheets (append row)
        |
        +--> Slack (send notification)

Step 1 --- Create the Zapier webhook trigger

1. Log in to Zapier and click Create Zap.
2. For the trigger app, search for Webhooks by Zapier.
3. Select Catch Hook as the trigger event.
4. Click Continue. Zapier generates a unique webhook URL:

https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/123456/abcdef/

5. Copy this URL --- you will register it with OMNI Datastream next.
6. Click Test trigger and leave the page open. Zapier is now listening for a test event.

Step 2 --- Register the webhook with OMNI Datastream

Create a webhook endpoint

curl -X POST \
  -H "x-api-key: $OMNI_DATASTREAM_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/123456/abcdef/",
    "description": "Zapier insider trade tracker",
    "events": ["filing.new"]
  }' \
  "https://api.secapi.ai/v1/webhook_endpoints"

Create an insider trade monitor

curl -X POST \
  -H "x-api-key: $OMNI_DATASTREAM_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Insider Trade Tracker",
    "form_types": ["4", "4/A"],
    "tickers": ["AAPL", "MSFT", "NVDA", "GOOGL", "META", "AMZN", "TSLA", "JPM", "GS", "BRK-B"],
    "webhook_endpoint_id": "we_abc123"
  }' \
  "https://api.secapi.ai/v1/monitors"

Replace we_abc123 with the endpoint ID from the previous response.

Send a test event to Zapier

While Zapier is listening, send a sample payload so it can detect the data structure:

curl -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "event": "filing.new",
    "timestamp": "2024-12-15T14:30:00Z",
    "data": {
      "accession_number": "0001234567-24-000100",
      "form": "4",
      "ticker": "AAPL",
      "company_name": "Apple Inc",
      "filed_at": "2024-12-15",
      "insider_name": "Tim Cook",
      "insider_title": "Chief Executive Officer",
      "transaction_type": "sale",
      "shares": 200000,
      "price": 248.50,
      "value": 49700000
    }
  }' \
  "https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/123456/abcdef/"

Go back to Zapier and click Test trigger again. You should see the sample data.

Step 3 --- Prepare the Google Sheet

Create a Google Sheet named Insider Trade Tracker with the following column headers in Row 1:

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I
Date	Ticker	Company	Insider	Title	Type	Shares	Price	Value

Step 4 --- Add a Google Sheets action

1. Click + to add an action step.
2. Search for Google Sheets and select it.
3. Choose Create Spreadsheet Row as the action event.
4. Connect your Google account and select the Insider Trade Tracker spreadsheet.
5. Map the fields:

Sheet Column	Zapier Field
Date	data__filed_at
Ticker	data__ticker
Company	data__company_name
Insider	data__insider_name
Title	data__insider_title
Type	data__transaction_type
Shares	data__shares
Price	data__price
Value	data__value

6. Click Test action to verify a row is created in your sheet.

Step 5 --- Add a Slack notification

1. Click + to add another action step.
2. Search for Slack and select it.
3. Choose Send Channel Message as the action event.
4. Connect your Slack workspace and select the target channel (e.g., #insider-trades).
5. Set the Message Text to:

:chart_with_upwards_trend: *Insider Trade Alert*
*{{data__insider_name}}* ({{data__insider_title}}) at *{{data__company_name}}* ({{data__ticker}})
:arrow_right: {{data__transaction_type}} of {{data__shares}} shares @ ${{data__price}}
:moneybag: Total value: ${{data__value}}
Filed: {{data__filed_at}}

6. Click Test action to verify the Slack message is sent.

Step 6 --- Turn on the Zap

1. Name your Zap (e.g., “OMNI Insider Trade Tracker”).
2. Click Publish to activate it.

Zapier step summary

Step 1: Webhooks by Zapier - Catch Hook
        Receives POST from OMNI Datastream

Step 2: Google Sheets - Create Spreadsheet Row
        Logs trade to "Insider Trade Tracker" sheet

Step 3: Slack - Send Channel Message
        Posts formatted alert to #insider-trades

Expected result

Google Sheets row

Date	Ticker	Company	Insider	Title	Type	Shares	Price	Value
2024-12-15	AAPL	Apple Inc	Tim Cook	Chief Executive Officer	sale	200000	248.50	49700000

Slack message

:chart_with_upwards_trend: Insider Trade Alert
Tim Cook (Chief Executive Officer) at Apple Inc (AAPL)
:arrow_right: sale of 200000 shares @ $248.50
:moneybag: Total value: $49700000
Filed: 2024-12-15

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Zapier does not detect test data	Make sure you clicked Test trigger before sending the curl request. Zapier must be in listening mode.
Google Sheets columns are misaligned	Verify the column headers match exactly. Zapier maps by header name.
Slack message has missing fields	Check that the field names in the message template match the Zapier field names (e.g., data__ticker, not ticker).
Zap triggers but no row is created	Check the Google Sheets action error log in Zapier. Common issue: the spreadsheet was moved or renamed.
Too many alerts	Add a Filter by Zapier step to only continue for specific transaction types (e.g., data__transaction_type equals purchase).

Next steps

• Add a Filter step: Only track purchases (insider buys are often more meaningful than sales).
• Add a Formatter step: Convert value to a human-readable currency format (e.g., $49,700,000).
• Multi-sheet routing: Use a Paths by Zapier step to log buys and sells to different sheets.
• Enrich with OMNI data: Add a Webhooks by Zapier > GET step to call /v1/insiders?ticker={ticker} and pull additional context before logging.

See the Analyze Insider Trading tutorial for more on working with insider trade data.