Coverting .pdf to .xls

with your data pasted to a single column in excel, you will need to use (experiment with) the 'text to columns' tool on the data menu

kathyd,
Adding to rbogie's reply -

Some key points: Acrobat 8 (or 9) required and the Select Tool (not the "hand") must be active.

[url=http://www.acrobatusers.com/forums/aucbb/viewtopic.php?id=4236]Reference post[/url]

Be well...

Thank you both - I don't know when the company is upgrading to 8.0, they are very slow with upgrades. I saving this for future reference.

rbogie - yes, I figured that out after I posted this and after more google searches. I think I am at a stalemate - the reports are adveraging 500 - 1500 pages and the time I have to invest to experiment for each report is just too much. Time to get on my IT dept for a solution.

Thank you again.

i made a script that automates what you describe: to convert any number (thousands) of pages of uniformely structured pdf tables (each table on a separate pdf page) to a single excel. have your IT dept contact me.

Please help me.

I have a 60 page PDF file that was created with our Accounting program.

I need to import it into Excel 2003 in order to manipulate the data into an invoice.

I have access to both Acrobat Pro 8 on a Vista platform

as well as Acrobat 9 on a Win XP server platform :(

Hi Hoffmanscot ,
For about 10 minutes of your time you'll have your Excel file.
A recap of my previous post to this thread, with a focus on using "Copy as Table", follows.

Prestage the activity.
Create a specific work directory on the HDD.
Open Excel.
Open a new Excel file.
Save the *.xls file to this directory.
Leave Excel & this file open.Open the PDF containing the table.
From the tool bar select a continuous page view.
Set the zoom percentage to 25%.
Make the Select Tool active (the i-beam/arrow icon).

Let us say the table in the PDF has a header row that repeats on each page. The following process will capture the first occurance from page one only.

NOTE: While you can select / highlight more than one page, ONLY one page at a time will be processed. In order to not lose track of which of the 60 pages you are at you want to set a zoom percentage that facilitates this (I like 25%; do play with the value to find what works best for you).

--| 1. Starting with the first page. Using the Select Tool, select the top left cell (it will become "highlighted") and drag to the bottom right cell. Release the mouse button. The first page's cells show as selected. Slowly move the mouse over these cells. Get the mouse focus on any of the highlighted text. The cursor changes shape (arrow head/page). Right click to call up the context menu.
Choices presented:
Copy as Table | Save as Table | Open Table in Spreadsheet

Copy as Table puts the select PDF page's content in the clipboard.
Save as Table lets you save each page's content to a separate *.csv file.
Open Table in Spreadsheet opens each page's content in the Spreadsheet as a *.csv file.

Some observations, from bottom to top.
Open Table in Spreadsheet - You'll have 60 files. Each starts as a *.csv file so you will have to save each to the Spreadsheet file format.
You'll have to bring the 60 into 1.

Save as Table - You'll have 60 *.csv files. You'll have to process them into a single spreadsheet file.

Copy as Table - A page's content goes to the clipboard. This is pasted into the open Excel file.
This is done for Each Page of the PDF file. You start with a single spreadsheet file and end with a single spreadsheet file.
As you are pasting into the saved Excel file you'll be avoiding the step through the *.csv.

Presuming you elect to Copy as Table you will paste the PDF's first page of content into the Excel file you created earlier.
Now save the Excel file.

--| 2. Back to the PDF for page 2. Use the Select tool to select all cells' content except for the repeating header row cells.
Use the context menu to choose Copy as Table. Go to the Excel file. Select appropriate cell and paste. Save the Excel file.

--| 3. Continue, a page at a time, until done.

Do a Save As to give yourself a working file so that the original is available if needed.
Now, make adjustments to this working spreadsheet file as desired.

Does this work?
Absolutely! To identify the steps above I've processed a PDF file with a table. The page size is letter with a landscape orientation. The table has a repeating header row, seven columns, and spans 48 pages. Done in less than 10 minutes.

Be well...

Hi. I'm using Adobe 9 on Windows XP. I followed the instuctions provided but even though I get the copy as table/save as table/open table in spreadsheet options, they don't seem to have any effect. I don't see a .csv file out there and if I open excel and paste after doing 'copy as table' I get the prior data that was in my clipboard from another document, not the data from the pdf file that I'm trying to copy. What am I doing wrong, please? Any ideas?

Does Excel open if you select the "Open Table in Spreadsheet" command on your PDF table?

Hi Linda,
Try this -
A PDF page with a table. Use the Select tool ("I-beam" with arrow).
Click-drag across some rows-columns.
Hover the mouse cursor over a region of high lighted text.
You should see an arrow head with a piece of paper.
Right click for the context menu.
Select "Open Table in Spreadsheet" - [b]Spreadsheet application should open[/b].
The open file, in the spread sheet is the *.csv file.
Use Save As to change this to an *.xls file.

Be well...

If your still struggling we have a new tool for doing this type of thing automatically on many files or one file: PDF Data Extractor, see: http://www.traction-software.co.uk/pdfdataextractor

output's data fields in a pdf to csv report.

Lee.
Traction Software
http://www.traction-software.co.uk

When I select the 'open table in spreadsheet', excel does not come up... just nothing. I'm perplexed.

It may be time to do the "repair" thing on your installed Acrobat.
On the command menu bar, look under "Help."

Be well...

Yes, very helpful.

I have the same problem too and finally found answer here. Thanks!

You could write a script in PHP using the PHP PDF functions.

More info here: http://us.php.net/manual/en/book.pdf.php.