Extracting Data from PDFs into Excel: A Step-by-Step Guide

As an analyst, most of the data I work with is trapped inside PDF documents. Extracting this data into Excel is a critical first step for crunching numbers and uncovering insights.

After years of refining my workflow, I’ve found the quickest and most efficient ways to convert PDF tables into formatted Excel spreadsheets. In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how it’s done using both Excel’s built-in PDF converter and third-party extraction tools.

Whether you need to occasionally pull data from a PDF or regularly deal with large batches of reports, this process will save you time and effort. Let’s dive in!

Why Extract PDF Data into Excel?

Here are the main reasons for extracting data tables from PDFs directly into Excel spreadsheets:

• Retain Formatting – By converting PDF tables into Excel, you can maintain formatting like colors, borders, and text styles. Copying and pasting from PDFs will strip away formatting.

• Editable Data – Once in Excel, you can edit, calculate, filter, and work with the extracted data A PDF table locks down the data

• Analysis Capabilities – With the data in Excel, you tap into a full suite of analytical tools like pivots, charts, and formulas.

• Workflow Efficiency – Extracting key data sets avoids having to manually rekey information from PDFs, saving significant time.

When to Use the Excel PDF Converter

Excel’s built-in PDF conversion works well when

• You need to occasionally pull data from a PDF into Excel

• You want to retain all formatting

• The PDF table is straightforward without much nested data

When to Use a Dedicated PDF Extraction Tool

Dedicated extraction tools like Tabula and CometDocs are preferable when:

• You regularly need to pull data from many PDFs

• Accuracy is critical, like for financial data

• You want to export PDF data directly into Excel templates

• The PDF contains complex tables with nested columns and data

Now let’s look at how to extract data from PDFs using both methods.

Extract PDF Table Data Directly Into Excel

Excel has a built-in capability to take a table from a PDF and convert it into a spreadsheet. Here are the steps to use it:

1. Open the target PDF containing the data you want to extract.

2. In Excel, go to the Data tab and click “Get Data” then choose “From File”>”From PDF”.

3. Navigate to the PDF you want to import data from and select it.

4. A preview will appear of all the PDF’s pages – click on the page with the table you want to extract.

5. Highlight the table by dragging your cursor over its cells. Once selected, click “Load”.

6. Excel will automatically import the PDF table and transform it into a spreadsheet, retaining all of the original formatting.

7. The extracted table will appear in a new sheet. You can now work with it like any other Excel dataset.

While this method works well for one-off, straightforward tables, it can fall short with more complex data sets. Let’s look at how specialized extraction tools can help in those cases.

Extract PDF Data Using a Dedicated Tool

Tabula and CometDocs are two leading PDF data extraction tools. Their advanced recognition algorithms can precisely extract tables, even with tricky layouts and nested data.

Here is an overview of the workflow using Tabula:

1. Install the Tabula app on your computer.

2. Open Tabula and click “Browse” to select the PDF file(s) to extract data from.

3. Tabula scans the PDF and detects all tables, which you can preview. Select the tables you want to export.

4. Choose your export format – options include Excel, CSV, or JSON. You can also export directly into Excel templates.

5. Set your page range, password for protected PDFs, and other preferences.

6. Click “Export” to convert the tables into your desired format.

7. The extracted data tables will be saved to your selected folder location or Excel template.

Let’s look at some tips for getting the most accurate results.

Top Tips for Extracting PDF Tables Accurately

Follow these tips when extracting PDF data tables:

• Adjust Selections – Review the table preview in Tabula and adjust the selection boxes to encapsulate all data.

• Set Data Type – Define column data types like text, number, or date to ensure proper formatting.

• Review in Excel – Inspect the extracted data in Excel to confirm accuracy, adjusting Tabula’s selections if needed.

• Tabula Training – Use Tabula’s training mode to help the algorithm recognize complex tables.

• Multiple Exports – For low accuracy, export the same table multiple times and compare values.

• Watch for Merges – Flag any cells mistakenly merged together and consider splitting them manually.

• Fix Faulty Data – Look for misaligned rows, incorrect data types, and other errors to clean up in Excel post-conversion.

With these best practices, you can extract even complex PDF tables with high accuracy, saving hours of manual data entry.

Extraction Tools Comparison

Here’s a quick comparison of key capabilities between Excel’s built-in converter versus Tabula and CometDocs:

Based on your use cases and accuracy needs, choose the right tool for the job. For periodically converting simple tables, Excel likely has you covered. For large batches or complex data, Tabula and CometDocs take extraction to the next level.

Automate Your Workflow with PDF Data Extraction

By mastering these techniques for extracting key data tables from PDFs into Excel, you can massively accelerate analytical tasks:

• Streamline Reporting – Automate turning printed PDF reports into formatted Excel dashboards.

• Aggregate Data – Consolidate volumes of PDF statements and invoices into Excel for reconciliation.

• Feed Calculators – Populate Excel pricing models and financial calculators with latest data.

• ** simplify Analysis** – Wrangle messy PDF tables into normalized Excel datasets for modeling.

No more wasting hours retyping PDF data or settling for static tables. Add this skill to your analytics toolkit to enhance efficiency and unlock deeper data insights.