How to combine and join tables from your PDF data

Here's how to use the How to combine and join tables from your PDF data

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What is PDF data?

PDF (Portable Document Format) files are a universal document format that preserves formatting across different devices and platforms. When working with business data, PDFs often contain valuable information in the form of tables, reports, and structured content that needs to be extracted and analyzed. These files can contain multiple pages and tables, making them both valuable and potentially complex data sources.

Why would you want to combine and join tables from PDF data?

Working with PDF data often requires consolidating information from multiple tables or documents to create comprehensive datasets for analysis and reporting.

  • Merge data from multiple PDF reports into a single, analyzable dataset
  • Combine historical records stored in PDF format with current data
  • Create consolidated reports from multiple PDF sources
  • Compare and analyze data across different PDF documents
  • Standardize information from various PDF formats into a uniform structure

Explore and learn more about Parabola

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How to use PDFs with Parabola

Parabola's PDF handling capabilities enable you to extract and transform data from PDF documents efficiently.

  • Automatic text extraction from both searchable and scanned PDFs
  • Flexible parsing options for structured and unstructured PDF content
  • Batch processing capabilities for multiple PDF files

Retrieving data from PDFs

Parabola's PDF data extraction functionality enables you to convert PDF documents into structured, analyzable data. The platform can handle various PDF formats and layouts, making it versatile for different business needs.

Key features

  • Text and table extraction
  • Multi-page document support
  • Pattern recognition
  • Structured data output
  • Batch processing capability

How to use

  1. Add the Pull from PDF file step to your Flow
  2. Upload your PDF file
  3. Configure extraction settings, including column names and keys
  4. Run the step to extract the data
  5. Add examples and fine tune your extraction settings for more accurate parsing

Combine tables

The Combine tables step in Parabola allows you to merge data sets from different sources based on matching columns. This powerful feature enables you to create comprehensive views of your business data and perform advanced analytics – mirroring the functionality of a vlookup in Excel.

Key features

  • Multiple joining methods (inner, left, right, full outer)
  • Column matching flexibility
  • Automatic data type handling
  • Duplicate handling options

How to use

  1. Add the Combine tables step to your Flow
  2. Connect the two datasets you'd like to join to the Combine tables step
  3. Choose the join type
  4. Map the matching columns
  5. Specify whether you'd like to match where any values match or all values
  6. Update results to preview the output and make edits as necessary

Practical use cases and examples

Financial report consolidation

Combine quarterly financial reports stored in separate PDFs into a single comprehensive dataset. This allows for trend analysis and year-over-year comparisons while maintaining data accuracy and consistency.

Inventory management

Merge inventory reports from different warehouse locations stored in PDF format. This creates a centralized view of stock levels and movement across multiple locations.

Sales performance analysis

Combine sales reports from different regions or time periods stored in PDFs to create a unified sales dashboard. This enables better decision-making and performance tracking across the organization.

Working with PDF data doesn't have to be complicated. With Parabola's powerful PDF handling capabilities and table combination features, you can easily transform scattered PDF data into organized, actionable insights. Start building your PDF data Flow today to streamline your data processing workflow.