Pull the tables out of a PDF into a spreadsheet you can filter, sum and sort, instead of retyping figures by hand.
This conversion looks for tabular structure: rows, columns and cells that can become spreadsheet columns. A financial statement, a price list or an inventory exported as PDF is the ideal input. A page of flowing paragraphs is not — use PDF to Word for that, otherwise you get one column of text per cell.
There is no table structure in a picture, only pixels. Run OCR first so the text exists, then convert; even then, expect to check the columns, because OCR reads position, not grid lines.
Always compare a few totals against the original. Layout engines infer column boundaries from spacing, and a figure that sits slightly off the column can land in the neighbouring cell — the classic way a spreadsheet looks right and totals wrong.
No. A PDF stores the result of a calculation, not the calculation. You get values; re-enter the formulas you need.
Ordinary reports convert in a few seconds; very large files are better split first.
Simple grids usually work; merged headers often need manual cleanup.