How Able2Extract Works With Your Document Management System

Document-management-able2extract

In the world of technology, there’s no escaping the digital document and everything that comes with it—the PDF format included.  Professionals with all sorts of working backgrounds have at one point or another dealt with the file format.  No doubt, leveraging a system that can handle a mass number of PDF files effectively is at the top of every company’s list.

Document Management Systems

As a solution, your company probably relies on a central document management system that allows employees to access and share multiple files effortlessly. It can be implemented internally through a corporate server or externally through third party services.

Both methods, of course, have their advantages. Where enterprise server systems allow for secured control access and monitoring, third party systems can be more resource efficient. In either case, you have a digital filing cabinet that can store documents, spreadsheets, and more importantly PDF files.

Uses Of The PDF format

The advantages of PDF documents has evolved drastically over the years, providing users a secure and professional solution at the document level. It already plays a major role in every department:

  • Accounts Payable and Receivable: PDFs are used for handling key documents including invoice exporting, distributing contracts, and accessing pre-purchase documents.
  • Sales and Purchasing: Agents keep records of purchase orders, send out registration forms, and collect and process data for the company.  All are kept in the PDF format.
  • Marketing:  Distributing brochures, product literature, and information to clients.
  • Customer Service: Managing client information, customer accounts, billing and receipts.
  • B2B Correspondence:  Discussing important documents in review, distributing company forms, and exchanging business proposals in secured PDF files.

It’s apparent that PDF files can cause difficulties between departments that, more often than not, work in conjunction with one another.  Thus, employees who need to work with the same stored and trapped content, but in different ways, need to consider how they can do so in an efficient manner.

Able2Extract & Your Document Management System

Think about it. How would you instantly take the PDF data your department needed, edit it, and integrate it back into the system completely processed and as needed?

Quick makeshift solutions can turn a simple task, like extracting text, into a major problem.  You’ll always need to reformat, realign and rearrange the data, wasting valuable time and resources. With every tool you seek out, you want one that lets you work seamlessly with files and systems already in place.

Able2Extract provides an intuitive way of converting PDF documents, minus the high cost, complex integration, and the steep learning curve. Here’s a closer look at how you can extend your workflow and get the most out of it:

Instant PDF conversion—Spend more time on analyzing data. Conversion is reduced to a 3-step process. Open your file, select the content to convert, click on the conversion output desired.

Content Editing—Able2Extract is designed for general content repurposing in mind. You get conversion options that are suitable to each format, whether it be Word or Excel.

Data manipulation—For professionals in data intensive work environments, Able2Extract can convert only the data you want, not the redundant data you don’t.

Document Collaboration—With more than more than 10 PDF conversion options, Able2Extract eases the document collaboration process and accommodates any format conversion needed by individual workers.

Invoice Data Analysis—Able2Extract’s custom PDF to Excel conversion gives users the control and flexibility to convert and manipulate PDF data at the cell level.

This flexibility enables you to work with information the way you need to and get the most out of your conversions.  For more information, check out the quick start guide to get a closer look at Able2Extract.
photo credit: DijutalTim via photopin cc

4 Cool Uses Of Microsoft Office You Probably Didn’t Know About

When you think of Microsoft Office, you probably think of office documents, presentations and spreadsheets. However, you can have a bit of fun with the suite just by knowing how to use the applications and features to their fullest extent.

A few power users out there manipulated their way through the MS Office programs to come up with some extremely creative  content.  Take a look at the following creative, jaw-dropping examples.

Create Art In Microsoft Excel 

Excel Spreadsheet Artwork

You may have heard of this guy on the internet before. Japanese artist, Tatsuo Horiuchi, has been producing art using only Microsoft Excel. It may sound crazy to use MS Excel for generating images let alone creating artwork. But this artist has proven, hands down, that it can be done.

Use Microsoft Word As An Advanced Image Editor

MS Word Graphics Editing

If you think Microsoft Word can only be used for generating documents, you’ll be shocked to see it in action as an advanced graphics editor. This amazing time-lapse video was created and posted by Vaclav Krejci who, according to his YouTube channel bio, aims to “explain graphic design to everyday users using software they are already familiar with.” And he does just that. This video shows how he recreates the iOS 7 home screen using nothing but Microsoft Word, start to finish.

Play A Role Playing Game In Microsoft Excel

Bet you never thought you could turn your data-analyzing, formula-calculating Microsoft Excel spreadsheet into an RPG game. We sure didn’t.  This macro-based RPG was put together in 5 months by Toronto-based chartered accountant, Cary Walkin, whose passion for spreadsheets and video games resulted in Arena.Xlsm.

Excel Spreadsheet RPG Game

Arena.Xlsm comes with character statistics, abilities for ranged attacks, achievements, boss encounters, and magic spells (available at level 10).  This cool game may look slightly different than your average MMPORG, but all the same interactive and essential elements are there.  See how far you can get.

Create Your Own Anime Movie In Microsoft PowerPoint

You’ve probably watched anime before, but we’re guessing that it didn’t require MS PowerPoint.  We caught this awesome example on PowerPoint Heaven, a site created by Shawn Tow that started out as a place to post his own tutorials and work. It is now a popular site for PowerPoint diehards to showcase their innovative uses of the application.

PowerPoint Anime Movie

One user took PowerPoint slides and animation to the next level with Rewrite, an anime drawn and animated in PowerPoint by Han Byul Jang (Zzangdol). We won’t provide you with any spoilers, but download the PowerPoint file to see it in action yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

We never really appreciate the full capabilities of the tools we use on a daily basis. But with a bit of practice and skill you can perhaps work your own magic and come up with a creative way of using MS Office yourself.

Back-To-School Tech Advice: 6 Things Every College Student Should Consider

Studying with Technology

Image credit: Zitona (Flickr.com)

The end of summer is near, and that means students will be heading back into the classroom in a couple of weeks. That being said, it’s time to sit down and think forward about the upcoming school year.

On top of the back-to-school shopping list and registration chaos, it’s a good time to start thinking about how technology will factor into your daily routine.  We’re talking about the nitty-gritty routine spent on studying, researching, writing, and sitting in class.

So in case you haven’t thought about it yet, we’ve hammered out some basic tech advice on 6 things you should consider.

Map Out Personal Tech Support Resources

No matter how well you know your tech tools, there will always be a random issue you can’t fix in a hurry. Knowing where you can go for help is key. There’s only so much Google can do for you with 10 million results.

Do yourself a favour and get your resources mapped out ahead of time.  Scout out, follow, and bookmark a good range of How-To sites, forums, and even basic support pages for your device.

Find Textbooks  Online 

When it comes to textbooks go digital wherever possible.  Digital textbooks can be significantly cheaper than original hardcopy or photocopied versions, and you won’t have to lug around heavy volumes.

As a starting point, sites like Project Gutenberg offer a vast selection of books in a variety of formats. You can also take advantage of Google’s latest textbook rental and purchasing offer from Google Play Books.  There’s also the iBooks app, whose iBookstore offers text books from notable publishers, such as McGraw-Hill and Pearson.

Flatworld Knowledge Online Textbooks

If those don’t pan out, you can check out FlatWorldKnowledge, an online catalog of textbooks where you can personalize textbook content according to your needs.

Shop Around For Free Software

You’re used to hearing of big name software applications like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop that are above your price range.  But you can just as easily get free software that offers the same functionality as other paid programs.

Search for open source software alternatives. There are a ton of free tools out there. You can also find apps for your device like productivity suites, note takers, and mobile converter apps. In addition, desktop suites like OpenOffice and LibreOffice are great alternatives to Microsoft Office you can get for free.

Organize Your Gadgets & Devices By Task 

Mobile Devices
Image credit: sean hobson

If you have more than one device, you should try getting them organized according to task.  You may think this is counter-productive, but different sizes, apps and OSes can actually make working on multiple gadgets inconvenient.

Think about how you’ll be dealing with your school work this year.  Will you be typing up your papers on a laptop in a coffee shop? Does research work better for you on a desktop? Or will you be on a tablet for on-the-go convenience? You get the idea.

Some devices are more practical than others for certain tasks.  Figure out your studying habits and get a gadget strategy and workflow in place.

Adopt Different Study Habits For Online Classes

Some of your courses may be offered online or have an online bulletin board component set.  Keep in mind that online learning environments have different dynamics and hence, need a different approach.

Tip? For starters, keep focused.  It’s all too easy to get distracted with opened browsers, the comfort of your own room, and online networks. Moreover, we’re all used to scanning stuff online.  So when it comes to in-depth reading, you’ll need to really shift gears once you log in. Remember that a lot of it is about independent learning.

Also, timeliness is a big factor that can possibly affect your grades. You want to be one of the first ones to submit a discussion response. Remember there are others who can possibly cover the same points you want to make. Don’t let them steal your thunder by posting it up first. In short, constantly scout out other minor adjustments you can make to your studying habits.

Always Have A Back Up Plan

Google Docs Revision History
Image Credit: Support.google.com

All too often does a program crash on us in the middle of a paragraph, a USB gets lost, or we quickly close that 1,500 word paper without saving. But a few things can help prevent that.

Create a copy of your papers every few drafts to different storage media. Use cloud storage services like Dropbox to save a copy of your last draft.

Or conversely, create your original copy online with Google Docs. It will save your changes automatically. In addition, it will create a back up of the file’s revision history. Let’s not forget that you can always send a draft to yourself as an attachment!

Once the year starts, a solid routine will be the only thing keeping you on top of things. So make sure you plan out your tech strategy well!

Able2Doc 7.0 Tip: Taking A Snapshot From PDF Documents

Despite the pressing need to work with PDF content, PDF conversion, despite all its benefits, might not always be what you need.  Think of those times when you need just a snippet of PDF content in a document, like when you conduct research with PDF files, for instance.

Copying and pasting on your computer is probably the first thing that comes to mind.  It’s a common, yet often messy, way of getting text or images into MS Word documents quickly. However, the results you have to edit afterwards are one major reason why PDF conversion is usually the better option.

But knowing that our users may still want the option of doing so, our desktop converters include a Snapshot feature. It gives you a way to create a proper snapshot of selected PDF content. For a more detailed look, here’s a walk through on the feature and how you can take a snapshot with Able2Doc 7.0.

1. Open your PDF file in Able2Doc 7.0

2.  Go to Edit> Take Snapshot.  This will activate the feature and let you select a portion of the active PDF to be saved to the Clipboard as an image

Take Snapshot feature in Able2Doc

3. Using your mouse, select the image or content that you would like to save as an image, as you would normally select an area for converting PDF content

Selecting PDF content for Snapshot

4. Once the selection has been made, you’ll get a popup letting you know that the content has been saved to the clipboard

Copying PDF content to clipboard

5. Go to the file or document where you need to insert the content. Then simply paste the content from your clipboard using CTRL + V or by selecting Paste from the right click context menu.

 Pasting PDF content in Word

This tip is also applicable to Able2Extract PDF Converter. For scanned PDF documents, the only selection method available is area-based selection (this option enables data to be selected on a column-by-column or section-by-section basis rather than line by line).

So if you ever find yourself needing a quick image of your PDF content, the snapshot feature can get the job done easily.

Able2Extract 8 Tip: How To Get Accurate Excel Spreadsheet Calculations During Tax Season

Using Excel is a great way to keep things organized during tax season.  The popular spreadsheet program has advanced features that let you work with your financial data as accurately as possible.

And that’s important.

Half the battle for tax filers every year is making sure that the numbers on those tax forms are correct.  The nitty-gritty calculations can be especially tedious if those numbers are generated from PDF conversions.

Fortunately, Able2Extract can refine the conversion process right down to the cell content.  Honourably mentioned by AccountingToday.com, the PDF converter was recognized for its PDF to Excel spreadsheet conversion and aiding in auditor control.  Now it’s time for you to get that same control over your taxes.

Introducing Able2Extract’s MS Excel Conversion Parameters

On top of the custom PDF to Excel conversion features you already know about, you can take advantage of conversion parameters to ensure that the converted PDF data falls in line with your tax spreadsheet analysis right from the start. The following options are located under View > Options…

PDF to Excel Conversion Parameters

Reposition The Minus Sign

In certain financial documents or reports, the minus sign symbol trails to the right of the number that it is associated with (e.g. “4,560-“ instead of “- 4,560”). Converting negative numbers where the minus sign trails to the right of the number can cause the resulting conversion to Excel to place these numbers as text, rather than numbers.  Move those trailing minus signs to the beginning of the number by selecting the Trailing Minus Sign Treatment. This will prevent it from being converted to textual items in Excel.

Keep The Dollar Sign Separate

Certain financial documents may contain dollar signs. Unfortunately, sometimes the dollar sign ($) creates a challenge in the way the program interprets column structure. Thus, the default is to meld the dollar sign into the same column as the number next to it.

PDF to Excel - Retaining the Dollar Sign

But if you wish to retain the dollar sign in its own separate column, check the Retain Dollar Sign as Separate Symbol option before converting.  Excel will treat the sign in the column as text.

Work With European Numeric Formatting

There are cases where some countries use European number formatting (1.234.567,89 vs. the North American equivalent written out as 1 234 567.89). However, PDF data in this format may be incompatible with your auditing tools or with some region specific versions of Excel.

You can change this easily with Able2Extract 8.  By selecting the European Continental Settings option, you can convert documents that adopt the decimal comma and “period” thousand separators to Excel formatted numbers correctly.

Display Your Data Differently

Sometimes you may need tabular data displayed differently to focus on specific areas.  For example, you may want to interpret data in terms of weekly revenue rather than by product.

PDF to Excel - Enable Table Unfolding

To transpose the data and move the data in columns to rows and the data in rows to columns, use the Enable Table Unfolding option. When selected, Able2Extract will generate output from a PDF in column structure to Excel in row structure or vice versa.

Enable Table Unfolding

Rotate Text into Excel

With pesky PDFs you may come across text in a table that has been rotated in a certain direction which would pose a problem for existing formatted Excel spreadsheets. Checking the Rotate Text into Excel box in the options menu will convert the rotated text into Excel upon conversion.

Just keeping a few of these options in mind can greatly lower the amount of stress you’re already going through with tax season. After all, it’s the simplest adjustments that can mean the difference between getting severely audited and getting a healthy tax return.