Meet Able2Extract 10: The Next Level of Data Extraction

We’re happy to announce today that Able2Extract 10 has just been released!

Continuing from the innovation and success of the last version, Able2Extract 10 comes with a number of great features. With PDF creation and editing you wouldn’t think that it could get any more advanced than it already is.  But it has!

Able2Extract 10 Boxshot

With this latest version, we’ve pulled out all the stops. You’ll find a lot of new PDF power features that will improve your PDF productivity and business intelligence workflow by more than half.

From PDF editing to improved Excel conversion, Able2Extract 10 has all the PDF capabilities you’ll ever need to keep up with your work. Get a good look at what the new Able2Extract 10 has to offer.

Convert Any Format Directly Into Excel

We’ve always known that highly valuable information can come in any format, not just PDF. So  to prevent you from missing out on accurate data assessments, we’ve included the ability for you to convert almost any format directly to Excel!

Able2Extract PowerPoint To Excel

Extracted Data In Excel

So whether you have a table in Word or information locked away in an XPS file, you can now get that data into an Excel spreadsheet and perform your analysis on complete data sets.

Just simply open your file and select your content as usual and choose the PDF to Excel conversion command from the toolbar.

Convert To PDF CSV Instantly

For those who work closely with raw data and text formats, you’ll be happy to know that Able2Extract 10 now has the ability to convert directly to CSV and TSV from the toolbar. In a nutshell, you can now integrate Able2Extract 10 directly into the analysis stage of your workflow.

Able2Extract PDF To CSV

This is especially handy for data extractions that are used in analytical software programs on the enterprise level. You can even copy to clipboard in RTF/CSV format. Your information analysis can be done more quickly as Able2Extract eliminates the need to convert to Excel and then export to CSV. 

Split And Merge PDFs Precisely Page-By-Page

For the first time, Able2Extract now has the ability to split and merge PDF files. We’ve made the process simple by allowing you to insert and extract the PDF pages themselves.

Split And Merge PDFs

Insert PDF pages from an already existing PDF on your computer or extract PDF pages from the currently opened PDF into a separate file.  Your original source PDF isn’t modified.  This makes assembling  and breaking up PDF documents for professional or personal use simple and hassle free.

Edit PDF Text On The Spot

Able2Extract 10 will finally let you edit the text directly within the PDF document. You can delete, add, and move existing text in a WYSIWYG editor, making instant corrections to PDF text.

Editing Text In PDF

As you can see you can match the font, text colour and size directly from the side editing panel, making seamless modifications to professional documents.  To boot, your changes are immediately visible, so you can see the edited content you’re converting.  

Resize PDF Pages To Meet Any Business Standard

Because the PDF is the standard used to communicate important content with companies from different industries, following each industry’s document requirements is important. For instance, print publishers, legal proceedings or marketing departments, will need specifically sized PDF pages. And this is why we’ve provided you with the ability to select your PDF page size from the start.

Resizing Pages With Able2Extract

Whether you need legal, letter or executive sized documents, you can adjust your PDF pages as easily as you can convert them. Resize your pages to paper sizes compatible with ANSI, ISO and ARCH specifications.  You can even graphically reposition the content of your page, if needed.  

This combination of page resizing options makes  it so that your PDF can work with any type of businesses, no matter which industry standards they follow.

Convert PDF To Excel More Accurately  

For even more precise and accurate data extraction into Excel, we’ve updated the PDF to Excel conversion engine. When you convert to Excel, Able2Extract now provides you with a variety of sub options to choose from.

Able2Extract Excel Conversion Settings

When you convert a PDF table, Able2Extract will better analyze how the source document  and its tables are  structured so you get even more refined PDF to Excel conversion results than before!

Improved OCR Technology For Highly Accurate Text Renditions

With Able2Extract Professional, we’ve also improved the OCR engine, providing you with more accurate renditions of broken text when converting scanned PDFs.  Professionals who need to use legacy information trapped in hard copy can now merge that data with digital data for complete and accurate business intelligence analysis.

Given everything this latest version has, you’ll be looking at your PDF work in a different–hopefully easier, light.  

Take it for a test drive yourself. Download the free 7 day trial and get your PDF productivity going!

Document Storage And Data Extraction Needs For Accountants

In the world of accounting, document handling and management are important. Everything is now highly digitized and it’s now necessary for accounting firms to adjust to an ever growing world of digital data.

To do so, there are many best practices and standards that all accounting firms are encouraged to follow for dealing with document and financial data.

Successful Document Storage Options For Accounting Firms

Major accounting resource sites like AccountingToday.com, for example, emphasizes the importance for document management in the accounting industry by outlining factors for one important area: document storage.

In addition to security and liability among other factors, they place emphasis on file type, and in particular, the PDF format for archival purposes, on their list of factors for successful document storage.

Floppy Disk Saved Files

And this is a great point that needs to be highlighted. As a PDF solutions company, we know the format’s excellent and effective capabilities for archiving. Whether clients decide to password protect the file or selectively lock down what users can do with the content, your clients’ financial data is faithfully and securely available to only you and your intended recipients.  

The Double Edged Sword: Archiving And Data Extraction

However, this also sheds light on one important point about the PDF format. The data that is accurately preserved can also be extracted just as faithfully. This is the PDF format’s main strength for accountants. 

Accountants will often find that PDF documents are not only used at the starting and end points of the process, but also at points in the workflow that come in between–during  the data analysis step.  But as you can imagine, this part of the process, which deals with data that’s already in archival format, can be the number one cause for backlogs in the workflow.

And accounting companies are highly aware of this. The accountants at JMPA (Jewell Muller Professional Accountants), who specialize in tax and accounting services in South Africa, for instance, struggled with the issue themselves.

PDF Bank Statements Need Editing

JMPA provides accounting solutions to small businesses. Being a technology dependent company, they rely on software tools to get their work done. However, they need to work with and edit the data stored in archival PDFs first.

CEO JMPA

“Almost all our documents are PDF bank statements that need to be imported to our accounting software,” explains JMPA CEO Cassie Muller. “Before we can do that, we have to edit them in Excel, which is where we had our first obstacle.”

Their search for a PDF converter solution led them to Able2Extract, which helped them speed up the management of PDF documents.

In our case study with JMPA, we took a close look at how data extraction played a factor in their document management process and what it meant for the company overall. JMPA highlighted some of the benefits of using Able2Extract:

  • Reduced processing time by 85%
  • Saved 80% of money on wages
  • Improved delivery time to clients by 90%
  • Converted 7 months’ worth of bank statements in minutes

In sum, knowing how your accounting company works with all kinds of documents is one of the keys to success. Because being efficient with your document process has an effect on the rest of your firm’s efficiency, be sure to explore all of your software options for storing and extracting document data. With JMPA, they were able to resolve the one factor holding them back with a single PDF converter tool.

Read the full JMPA case study and learn how they managed to improve their document management system in detail .

15 Best Online Free Resources For Mastering AutoCAD

Creating CAD Drawing

Learning how to use AutoCAD doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. With free online learning tutorials, courses, videos and other totally free learning materials, it can be easy to find the help you need. The only problem lies in sifting through search results, doing your research, and picking the right resource.  

To help cut down on the search time, we went ahead and did the research for you. And from our findings, we created a list of top free AutoCAD tutorials and tips on the Web. We even listed the top AutoCAD blogs in the industry to follow if you want to become and stay  a top AutoCAD user and professional.

So, without further ado here are 15 best online free resources for mastering AutoCAD:

myCADsite

myCADsite offers free online AutoCAD tutorials for both new and experienced users with no registration needed. Tutorials are organized into 4 levels: beginner AutoCAD, intermediate AutoCAD, introduction to 3D and advanced topics. Each set of lessons is followed by a quiz to test your knowledge. You’ll also find sample CAD files and videos to accompany the HTML AutoCAD tutorials. To stay current with news and tutorials as they’re produced, you can follow myCADsite on Facebook or Twitter.

Cadalyst

Cadalyst provides a wide array of AutoCAD and other CAD software tutorials, tips and training resources. They also have an extensive CAD tips video gallery with clips that teach you how to perform specific tasks in AutoCAD. For example, you can find videos showcasing three different ways to put a frame around your text in AutoCAD, how to scale object with a reference, and many more.

CADTutor

CADTutor offers free tutorials, tips and articles for AutoCAD, 3ds Max and associated software applications. Not only that, but CADTutor can easily put you in touch with other CAD learners and professionals their AutoCAD forums, which are a great free learning resource you can’t afford to miss out on.

Tutorial 45

This is another must-visit AutoCAD site to have on your list. Why? Tutorial 45 provides a set of free AutoCAD tutorials including practice exercises, lists of AutoCAD commands, 3D projects and easy to follow how-to articles. It offers all the basics you’ll need!

Ellen Finkelstein

Ellen Finkelstein’s AutoCAD tips blog is a huge repository of free AutoCAD tips, techniques and tutorials organized into categories that make it easy to navigate this rich AutoCAD resource. Sift through the number of categories that include: drawing, editing, text and dimensions, 3D, plotting and presentation, troubleshooting, AutoCAD customization, and layers. With the amount of resources available, you’re sure to find the help you need.

AutoCAD tutorial by Computer Aided Design Guide

Computer Aided Design Guide is actually a blog on all things CAD. Here you’ll find all AutoCAD related articles organized into a comprehensive list that makes for a good free AutoCAD tutorial resource you can bookmark.

The CAD Setter Out

The CAD Setter Out is another blog with all AutoCAD posts gathered under the AutoCAD tutorials category. To help readers and learners find the exact AutoCAD tutorial they need, their AutoCAD posts are further broken down with post tags like AutoCAD create, AutoCAD Edit, AutoCAD Productivity, AutoCAD Document, and AutoCAD Customization.

Draftperson.net

Draftsperson.net provides a set of free AutoCAD tutorials, tips and tricks, and articles. The resources don’t stop there though. You can find other free resources such as AutoCAD blocks, reference, and more.

CadOasis

CadOasis offers some free AutoCAD tutorials specifically designed to introduce AutoCAD functions to CAD users. So if you’re looking to get a good overview to the essentials on AutoCAD functions, this is the site to check out.

Blue Print Floor Plan

AutoCAD blogs

Lynn Allen

Lynn Allen’s blog is an extremely valuable AutoCAD learning and news resource adequate for both the beginners and experienced CAD users who want to stay current on industry news, events, and the latest on software updates and features. Lynn traditionally provides her blog followers with AutoCAD tips and tricks booklets you can download in PDF. From HTML how-to tips and tricks to videos that walk you through a new technique, you’re sure to learn your way around AutoCAD like a pro. Learn how to put a frame around your text, how to embed an image file in AutoCAD or even something as common as keeping track of your drawings. This site has it all.

AutoCAD Tips Blog

AutoCAD Tips is a blog that provides helpful AutoCAD tips for everyday users. Each tutorial is informative,  easy to follow, and with helpful screenshots to walk you through it, this blog is the perfect starting point for learning your way around both basic and advanced functionalities.

CADnotes

This blog is a treasure trove of AutoCAD learning material. CADnotes is a blog featuring AutoCAD tutorial series for beginners and other AutoCAD tutorials, articles and productivity tips.  

The CAD Geek

The CAD Geek aims to empower CAD professionals with informative and timely posts on AutoCAD and other CAD software. Owned by author and CAD thought leader, Donnie Gladfelter, this blog contains posts that go beyond the tutorial and software usage tips to give you a well rounded view of the CAD industry.

Through the Interface

Through the Interface is one of Autodesk’s blogs with over 900 articles on AutoCAD.  AutoCAD DevBlog is the number one go-to resource for software developers who work with AutoCAD and other Autodesk technologies. It abounds with information needed to quickly solve  programming problems and learn more about working with AutoCAD on a highly technical level.

Being Civil

Being Civil is one of AutoDesk’s blogs on AutoCAD Civil 3D. Its purpose is to provide value to users based on the support requests received every month from around the globe. This is a great blog to follow if you like staying in touch with the AutoCAD Civil 3D community or simply like learning how AutoCAD Civil 3D is being used. You’ll be able to find a ton of answers to user-submitted questions that you’ve probably had yourself!

Top Excel Tips For Data Analysts

Top Excel Tips For Data Analysts

It’s an obvious, well-known fact that data and business go hand in hand. You can’t manage one without affecting the other. And whether you’re analyzing a client’s data or using your company’s data to make executive decisions, your tools have to be able to handle the tasks you perform with that information.

For instance, if you’re a data analyst, most of the time you go through these stages of data analysis:

  1. Data Cleaning: Transform and rearrange the data in a way suitable for data analysis
  2. Data Analysis: Perform the necessary calculations to extract useful information
  3. Data Visualization: Use graphs or other type of visualization technique to show your results

While these may be impossible to handle manually, they’re perfectly manageable with Microsoft Excel. The application is advanced yet user friendly enough for the average user.

However, the tricky part you probably struggle with is knowing how to access and apply the right functionalities to your data. Well, it’s time to stop the struggle.

In this post, I’ll show you some Excel tips you can use at each of the data analysis stages.  Click through to jump to a specific section or tip.

Continue reading →

Why Accounting Firms Need A Document Management System

Performing Manual Calculations

For any financial services company, a client’s financial data is at the heart of its operations. As such, it becomes crucial for them to invest in a document management system and all the tools and processes it entails.

Underscoring this fact, CPA Practice Advisor outlines a number of pros and cons for having a paperless office with a document management system in place. As expected, the benefits presented by the pros outweigh, by far, the struggles imposed by the cons.

A document management system can drastically improve the workflow for accounting firms and clients alike.  

For one thing, it saves business costs on paperwork. Businesses and customers can reduce paper dependency, ultimately making documentation, transactions and records easily accessible online.

For another, it allows companies to automatically create an electronic audit trail that can keep documents accurate and in compliance with industry standards. Document workflows can be set up and incorporated into daily processes, making routine procedures easy for accountants.

However, one important caveat to keep in mind is that simply having a document management system in place doesn’t mean your workflow is fool-proof. Depending on the dynamics of your clientele and your document processing routine, your needs can shift and change from day to day. In fact, companies that incorporate document management systems can still struggle.

CFO Momentum
Momentum, a renowned financial and credit services  company, is one such example. They keenly  felt the affects of a document management system that quickly became inadequate. “Our working volumes grew exponentially and then came to a point where the manual process no longer made any sense,” Riaan Verbeek, CFO of Momentum explains.

Turning A Flawed Document Management System Around

As one of the leading services in the area of financial advising, insurance, investment and health, Momentum had client data already digitized in the PDF format. But there was a weakness in their document management system.

The company quickly found that they needed a dedicated PDF to Excel converter in order to improve, complete and streamline their document management system.  They needed to efficiently extract the vast amounts of PDF data to Excel and handle the data generated by the accounting department, as well.

Improving Document Management With Able2Extract

With this in mind, the company added Able2Extract to their document management system to fill that need.  A case study on Momentum shows that the company’s workflow did nothing but improve from the addition. You can read the full Momentum case study here. Successful highlights from the case study include:

  • Saved $30,000 annually
  • Saved 100% of their time on information assembly
  • No training required to start converting PDF to Excel
  • Experienced accurate data conversions

By making an adjustment in one troublesome area in their document management system, Momentum was able to start processing and handling their client data more effectively.  

Implementing a document management system can do wonders for the productivity of accounting firms. But that system must be flexible enough to change with your daily activity and routine.  

If your firm has a system already set up, make sure it has a tool for every step in the process. Tailor the workflow and make adjustments as needed. If the addition of one PDF converter can improve Momentum’s metrics, think of what it can do for your firm.