Extract tables from PDF to Excel with Nutrient Document Web Services API on Zapier
Table of contents
What is Zapier?
Zapier(opens in a new tab) is a no-code automation platform that connects your favorite apps and services. You can create automated workflows — called “Zaps” — by linking triggers and actions between apps like Google Drive, Slack, Gmail, and more.
What is Nutrient DWS Processor API?
Nutrient DWS Processor API is a powerful platform for document automation. With your free account(opens in a new tab), you get 50 credits, which you can use to perform various document operations. Each tool (e.g. conversion, signing, flattening) consumes a different amount of credits depending on complexity.
Nutrient offers more than 30 tools with the ability to:
- Convert images and documents to PDF
- Merge, split, or reorder pages
- Add digital signatures, watermarks, or annotations
- Run OCR, redact, flatten, and more
What you’ll need
- A Zapier(opens in a new tab) account (a pro plan is necessary for multistep Zaps)
- A Google Drive account
- A PDF file uploaded to a Google Drive folder
- A Nutrient DWS Processor API key — sign up here(opens in a new tab)
Step 1 — Trigger a new file in a Google Drive folder
- Select Google Drive as the trigger app.
- Choose the New File in Folder trigger event.
- Connect your Google Drive account.
- Configure the trigger:
- In the Drive field, select your Google Drive.
- In the Folder field, select or create a folder (e.g.
pdf-to-excel).
- Test with a sample PDF file to confirm it’s detected.
Step 2 — Convert PDF to Excel (Nutrient DWS Processor API)
- Select Nutrient Document Web Services API as the action app.
- Choose the Extract Tables From PDF to Excel action.
- Connect your Nutrient DWS Processor API account by pasting your API key.
You can find your API key in the Nutrient dashboard(opens in a new tab).
- Configure the fields:
- PDF File URL — Use the file from the Google Drive trigger.
- Output File Name — Optional, e.g.
extracted_tables.xlsx.
Make sure the file is publicly accessible or Zapier can fetch it from Google Drive.
- Run a test to ensure the PDF was successfully converted.
Step 3 — Upload the Excel file to Google Drive
- Add another step and choose Google Drive as the app.
- Select the Upload File action event.
- Choose your drive and output folder (e.g.
converted-excel), and map the Excel file output from step 2.
Zapier may warn you about a potential Zap loop if you use the same folder for the input and the output. You can avoid this by uploading the updated file to a different folder.
- Test the upload to confirm the Excel file is saved to Google Drive.
Conclusion
This Zap extracts PDF tables into an Excel file through Nutrient DWS Processor API(opens in a new tab) and saves it in Google Drive. Open the workbook and compare its rows and values with your source PDF. To set up the workflow, create a Processor API account(opens in a new tab) and connect it in Zapier.
If your next application needs JSON instead of a workbook, follow the PDF table-to-JSON tutorial.
