How to Link PDF Form to Excel Database (with Easy Steps)

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You may need to know how to link a PDF form with an Excel database to update dynamic records if you have to keep individual records and the information is kept in pdf forms. In this tutorial, we will show you how to link a PDF form to an Excel database.


How to Link PDF Form to Excel Database: 5 Easy Steps

We’ll show you how to connect PDF Forms to an Excel database in the sections below. We’ll start by showing you how to make or prepare pdf forms, then export the results to an Excel database. Simply follow the instructions indicated to do this.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

Step 1: Create a PDF Form

  • Open Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader.
  • Click on Tools.
  • In the search box, type ‘Prepare’ to the Prepare Form
  • From the Prepare Form option, select the Create Form.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • Select Create New.
  • Then, click on the Start.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

Notes:  Only Adobe Acrobat Pro DC users will be able to use this feature. Editing, Exporting, Importing, and more functions are accessible with the Pro DC version.

Read More: How to Convert PDF to Excel without Software


Step 2: Edit and Prepare PDF Form

  • After creating the Prepare Form, click on the Add Text to add or type anything.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • Therefore, it will show as the image shown below after adding any text to the Form.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • To add a text field, click on the Add a Text field.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • As a result, a text field box will appear where you can write any information.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • To add an image, click on Add an Image Field option and select the image you want to add from your image files.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • In the image below, we have added our company logo as an Image Field.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • As a consequence, the PDF form will appear as the figure shown below.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database


Step 3: Input Data to PDF Form to Link to Excel Database

  • Share the Form with anybody who is interested in filling it out through email or any other medium.
  • In the image below, we have provided a sample filled-up Form.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

Read More: How to Export Data from Fillable PDF to Excel


Step 4: Export Data in Excel Database

  • From the Tools, search the Merge Data Files into Spreadsheet
  • Then, select the Merge Data Files Into….

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • Click on Add Files to export the Form.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • Select the Prepare Form from your desktop.
  • Then, click on Open.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • After adding the Form, click on Export.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • Give your Form any name you prefer.
  • Make sure the Format is in CSV (.csv) to make it compatible with Excel.
  • Finally, save the file.

Easy Steps to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • Click on View File Now to get the results in the Excel database.

Sample Data

  • As a result, you will get the pdf form linked to the Excel database.

Sample Data

Read More: How to Export PDF Comments into an Excel Spreadsheet


Step 5: Apply Power Query to Link PDF Form to Excel Database

  • To create a dynamic updating Excel Database, link the PDF Form by using the Power Query.
  • Firstly, click on the Data.
  • Secondly, click on the Get Data.
  • From the options, select the From.
  • Finally, select the From Text/CSV from the list.

Sample Data

  • Select your saved file.
  • Then, click on Import.

Sample Data

  • There will be a Preview in the Power Query.
  • Finally, click on Load to import the data into the Excel database.

Sample Data

  • Therefore, you will get the result in the Table as the image shown below.

Sample Data

Read More: How to Convert PDF to Excel without Losing Formatting


Download Practice Workbook

Download this practice workbook to exercise while you are reading this article.


Conclusion

To conclude, I hope this article has given you a tutorial about linking pdf form to an Excel database. All of these procedures should be learned and applied to your dataset. Take a look at the practice workbook and put these skills to the test. We’re motivated to keep making tutorials like this because of your valuable support.

If you have any questions – Feel free to ask us. Also, feel free to leave comments in the section below.

Stay with us & keep learning.


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Bhubon Costa
Bhubon Costa

Bhubon Costa, B.Sc. in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, has worked with the ExcelDemy since 2021. Currently, he has been working as a reviewer. Notably, he has written over 90 articles and led several VBA content development teams. He has a great passion for the fields of data analytics and data science. His areas of expertise include Excel VBA, Power Query, Pivot Table, Power BI, MySQL, PostgreSQL, machine learning, and Python... Read Full Bio

2 Comments
  1. How can I make a Dynamic form in excel include attachments(file or photo) and a send button by which file convert into pdf then save as attachment in Email(Gmail or outlook).

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