Scanned or digital PDF
Both go the same way: each page becomes an image in your browser and is read. A digital PDF, exported straight from software, usually reads cleaner than a scan of paper.
What the file contains
The Excel file is laid out so you can work with it right away:
- A sheet per table, with a bold, filterable header row
- A Fields sheet: details outside the table, such as document number, date and customer
- A Text sheet: all the text on the pages
When the table is complicated
Merged cells, two-row headers and tables without lines are the hard cases. Columns follow what is printed, and an empty cell stays empty. Glance over the sheet before you rely on it.