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What is your actual workflow for getting PDF data into Excel cleanly when formats vary across files?
Our take
Navigating the complexities of extracting data from diverse PDF formats into Excel can be a daunting task, especially when dealing with invoices and reports from various vendors. While some files import seamlessly through Power Query, others may present jumbled text that defies easy parsing. Manual copying and AI tools for tabular output often fall short at scale.
I work with invoices and reports from multiple vendors and the PDF formats are all different. Some import into Excel reasonably well through Power Query but others come through as jumbled text with no consistent structure to parse. I have tried copying text manually and running some through AI tools for tabular output but neither scales well. Curious what workflows people have actually settled on when dealing with inconsistent PDF sources. Is there a combination of tools or Excel features that handles varied formats without needing a custom solution for each file type?
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