Prompts for Table Extraction

Tables are where PDF extraction delivers the most value. What takes 30 minutes to manually copy-paste can be done in seconds with the right prompt. Let's master the techniques.

The Basic Table Extraction Prompt

Start simple and add complexity as needed:

Handling Merged Cells and Headers

PDF tables often have merged header cells that span multiple columns:

Multi-Page Table Extraction

Tables that span multiple pages are tricky. Here's how to handle them:

Extracting Specific Columns

Sometimes you only need certain columns from a larger table:

Cleaning Messy Table Data

Real-world PDFs often have formatting issues. Use cleanup instructions:

Financial Table Extraction

Financial documents need special attention to number formatting:

Quick Reference: Table Extraction Modifiers

Add these to your prompts for specific needs:

Goal	Prompt Addition
Preserve formatting	"Keep numbers exactly as shown, including symbols"
Handle empty cells	"Replace blank cells with 'N/A'"
Skip subtotals	"Exclude rows that are subtotals or totals"
Add row numbers	"Add a row number column starting at 1"
Transpose data	"Flip rows and columns (transpose the table)"
Combine tables	"Merge all matching tables into one"
Filter rows	"Only include rows where [column] contains [value]"

Validation Prompts

Always verify your extraction. Ask the AI to double-check:

Exercise: Complex Table Extraction

Practice with a challenging multi-table scenario:

Key Takeaway

Table extraction is about precision. Tell the AI exactly what columns you need, how to handle edge cases (merged cells, multi-page tables, empty values), and what format you want. Always validate the extraction by asking for row/column counts. Clean, specific prompts produce clean, usable data.

Next, we'll convert your extracted tables into spreadsheet-ready formats.