{"id":7494,"date":"2017-09-25T14:13:01","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T14:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/?p=7494"},"modified":"2018-12-06T14:54:06","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T14:54:06","slug":"select-and-convert-tables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html","title":{"rendered":"How To Select And Convert Tables Among Text"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PDF <\/span><\/p>\n

For the most part, converting PDF tables to Excel can be very simple. Your table is isolated, on a single page and nicely centered. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, PDFs being what they are and content being as diverse as it is, your tables won\u2019t always be ideally formatted as such in the PDF you\u2019re dealing with. \u00a0<\/span>It may be nested within paragraphs and surrounded by extra content and text that you may not need at all. <\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve no doubt seen this in annual reports, brochures or statistical data compiled into a study. The formatting and layout may be easy on the eyes, but it isn\u2019t on the conversion process.<\/span><\/p>\n

So how do you extract only the table you want? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In Able2Extract Professional, you can use the <\/span>Select Area<\/b> tool to select only the table in question. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Select<\/p>\n

While this may seem basic, it\u2019s not commonly known to those who struggle with the issue. So today we\u2019re bringing this feature into the spotlight, showing you the difference and benefits of this feature.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your PDF Table, Your Conversion<\/b><\/h2>\n

Normally, for quick conversions, you may simply be used to Selecting All or clicking and dragging to select your tabular data from a PDF. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, using the <\/span>Select Area <\/b>command<\/span> gives you maximum control over the selection process. \u00a0This feature lets you select your table <\/span>row-by-row <\/i><\/b>and <\/span>column-by-column<\/i><\/b>. This works best, for instance, if you want to select only certain columns on the page so you get surgeon-like precision with your data extraction. \u00a0Take a look at the difference: <\/span><\/p>\n

With Select All:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Select<\/p>\n

With Click and Drag selection:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Select<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to do this in Able2Extract Professional. With your PDF open\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Click on the <\/span>Select Area<\/b> button.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Place<\/b> the cursor onto the corner of the table you want to select. <\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Hold <\/b>the left mouse button down.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Drag <\/b>the mouse over the columns or portions of the document to be selected. <\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Once selected, click on the <\/span>Convert To Excel\u00a0<\/b>command on the toolbar and convert using the <\/span>Automatic PDF to Excel<\/b> conversion. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The results:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Converted<\/p>\n

    This is just one extra way Able2Extract can customize your data extractions even more. If you\u2019re looking for other tips on PDF conversion and Able2Extract, visit our Investintech Tips section on our blog or get in touch with us for more customized issues.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    For the most part, converting PDF tables to Excel can be very simple. Your table is isolated, on a single page and nicely centered. However, PDFs being what they are and content being as diverse as it is, your tables won\u2019t always be ideally formatted as such in the PDF you\u2019re dealing with. \u00a0It may … Continue reading \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,16,332],"tags":[50,45,56,135,85,39,59,122],"class_list":["post-7494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2-conversion","category-investintech-tips","category-tech-tips-tutorials","tag-able2extract","tag-ms-excel","tag-pdf","tag-pdf-conversion","tag-pdf-to-excel","tag-productivity","tag-tips","tag-tutorial"],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Select And Convert Tables Among Text<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Converting PDF tables can be hard if text surrounds them. 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Here\u2019s how.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-25T14:13:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-12-06T14:54:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/select-and-convert-tables-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"goranka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@able2extract\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@able2extract\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"goranka\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b62f30e5e357f36e69ff2b5f1ba865a1\"},\"headline\":\"How To Select And Convert Tables Among Text\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-25T14:13:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-12-06T14:54:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html\"},\"wordCount\":396,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/select-and-convert-tables-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Able2Extract\",\"MS Excel\",\"PDF\",\"PDF conversion\",\"PDF to Excel\",\"productivity\",\"tips\",\"tutorial\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Conversion\",\"Investintech Tips\",\"Tech Tips and Tutorials\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html\",\"name\":\"How To Select And Convert Tables Among Text\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/7494-select-and-convert-tables.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/select-and-convert-tables-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-25T14:13:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-12-06T14:54:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"Converting PDF tables can be hard if text surrounds them. 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