Plan extracting tables from PDFs I may use
Plans how to get tables out of PDFs you have the right to use, comparing text extraction, OCR and manual checks with a validation step.
Task:
Plan how I get the tables out of a set of PDFs into a spreadsheet I can trust.
Context:
I have [number of PDFs] PDFs from [source], each about [pages per PDF] pages. They are [text PDFs or scans], and I have the right to use them for [purpose]. I work with [tool or language].
Rules:
- Start by telling me how to check whether the PDFs hold real text or only images.
- Compare text extraction, OCR and manual entry for my case on accuracy and effort, with the trade-off in one line each.
- Include a validation step such as totals that must match and a random sample checked by hand.
- If the source forbids reuse of its documents, tell me to stop and ask for permission.
Result:
A numbered plan of at most 6 steps with an effort estimate in hours, then a checklist of 3 validation checks.