There are several situations where you need to use data. Sometimes, they are available online, and sometimes, they are available in reports that are in PDF documents. These are either paid, or PDFs are protected, which does not allow you to directly export the same to CSV or any other format you desire, making using them impossible.
Let us look at some working ways to help you extract tables from PDF and export them to Excel, CSV, and other formats! Without further ado, let’s get started!
Why Extract Tables from PDF? What Makes it Difficult?
You may be wondering who would want to copy data from a PDF that is available online already. Well, the use case is not limited to data available online as there are several situations where your colleagues send you a report to run an analysis, and you aren’t able to do so because the data is sent in a PDF format, which does not allow you to edit it by default.
Not to mention, directly copying and pasting this data either causes plagiarism in the document or destroys the structure of the data.
It becomes even more difficult when you want to use that data in a different format. For instance, if you have a table in a PDF document, copying it to a Word document may hamper the existing content structure. Also, moving the table to an Excel sheet is a lot of work.
The issue is severe for students and professionals, as creating reports using stats is unavoidable for them. If you have experienced one such situation where everything you wanted for a report was right there, but you could not use the same because the data could not be extracted, this post is for you!
Ways to Extract Tables and Other Data from PDF – Export Data from PDF Easily!
You can extract tables and other data from a PDF and export it to a different format in multiple ways. Some of the common ways include –
- Copy and Paste Data Directly From the PDF (Basic)
- Converting PDF Documents to Desired Formats
- Hiring an Expert to Get the Job Done
Let’s look at each of them to identify which is the best for you!
1. Copy and Paste Data Directly From the PDF (Basic)
If we start with the basic method, copying and pasting presents the easiest way to extract anything you require from a PDF document. You can simply select the content in a PDF and use the Ctrl+C command to copy the data. Navigate to another document or file you want to create and simply press Ctrl+V to paste your copied file.
But as they say, the easiest things are often the clumsiest. While copying the data directly, you lose a lot of context to the information. Especially if you are copying a table, the columns, values, and structure get all mixed up, which adds another layer of work to do.
This approach can be a good way to extract a passage or a paragraph from the PDF, but when we talk about extracting tables and stats, you may not want to copy the data directly.
2. Converting PDF Documents to Desired Formats
Converting a PDF document to your desired format can be a good option. However, remember that the entire document is converted and not just the data you want to extract. There will be extra steps after the conversion, but the work is limited as the converter does most of the job.
You now have two options: an online PDF converter or a dedicated PDF converter and an editor tool like Systweak PDF Editor. With an online converter, you have to be extremely careful to use a trusted tool to convert, as uploading your file to a different server is not that safe.
When you convert the files online, the data is interpreted by a machine, which often results in deconstructed tables, defeating the entire purpose of conversion.
On the other hand, with Systweak PDF Editor, a standard converter and editor tool, you can convert PDF to a different format allowing you to make changes offline on your computer, The tool can open, edit, and convert traditional PDF files into any required format. All you need to do is –
Step 1 – Download and install the Systweak PDF Editor application on your computer.
Step 2 – Launch the app and select the PDF document from which you want to extract a table.
Step 3 – Click on the Convert option in the top bar. Select the Convert To option and choose the format to which you want to extract the data.
Step 4 – Select the output folder and manage the conversion in the next window. Click on Convert to format and finish the process.
Once you have converted, you can find the file in the set output folder. Open the same and check if the data is distributed in Excel as you wanted it to. Check for discrepancies, and you are good to go.
3. Hire an Expert to Do the Job for You
In case you feel all of it is too much of a task for you, professional data entry specialists can manually create a document for you with the data you want or convert it for you. To hire an expert, you can visit freelance platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, etc.. While it may be convenient, it may cost you more. Not to mention, if it is a file of priority or confidential data, it may be violated by the editor.
After all the methods, downloading a PDF editor and converter tool like Systweak PDF Editor is the best option as it is reliable, easy to use, and pocket-friendly. Download the tool today and get things done easily. We hope this post helps you extract tables from PDF files and export them to Excel or any other format you desire.
That is all for this post. Good luck!
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