Excel 365 for Windows is getting a long-wanted option to import PDF’s into worksheets. Microsoft has gone ‘one better’ and made PDF’s a refreshable data source using Get & Transform.
Importing details from PDF files isn’t ideal but sometimes it’s the only option available.
Excel can detect tables in the PDF, choose one or more tables to import into Excel. Or import entire pages.
This uses the powerful PowerQuery part of Excel with all it’s nifty features for transforming the data to make it suitable for your needs.
Using Get & Transform means that the PDF import options are repeatable and refreshable.
For example, a weekly PDF of values can be imported into Excel using the same settings each time.
Password protected PDF’s are not supported. That’s a pity and a little strange because Word can open a PDF after prompting for the password. Important data is more likely to be locked in a passworded PDF. It would be useful if Get & Transform could unlock a PDF with a saved password.
This feature now available to Excel 365 for Windows, Fast Track Insiders v 2006 build 12905.20000
So-called ‘Edit PDF’ feature is coming to Word for Mac
Three ways to add a PDF into a Word document
Combine, merge or split PDFs for free
Delete or reorder PDF pages – free!
