Airtable has continuously grown in popularity over the years, with over 500,000 organizations using it as of 2025. From CRM to project management, planning of resources or events, competitive analysis… Organizations use Airtable to organize data, streamline workflows, and collaborate on projects in a database-driven system. Airtable allows them to overcome the limitations of using multiple fragmented tools while improving efficiency and collaboration.
To make the most out of Airtable, you need to populate it with information. But how do you do that when critical data is trapped in PDF files? Many users in the Airtable community have discussed this issue over the years. If you, too, are looking for a simple way to extract data from PDF to Airtable, you’re exactly where you need to be: Docparser makes it easy to extract data from your PDFs and export it to Airtable — no coding, no learning curve. Read this blog post to learn how to do this in a couple of minutes.
Capture Key Data from Your Documents Easily
Use Docparser to automate data entry, save time, and streamline your document-based workflows.
No credit card required.
Struggling to Move Data from PDF to Airtable?
For years, Airtable users have expressed a need to get data out of PDF documents and into Airtable databases. It’s possible to do this in a number of ways, from scripting to third-party tools and Airtable AI, but you may run into some issues.
For instance, you might need coding knowledge to use an extension, or you may not get reliable parsing results from a data extraction tool. And while Airtable AI can parse PDFs, you can burn through credits quickly, making it more expensive to use.
So if you handle PDF documents regularly, you need a simple and reliable solution to extract PDFs to Airtable. And we’re betting that Docparser is just what you need.
Capture Key Data from Your Documents Easily
Use Docparser to automate data entry, save time, and streamline your document-based workflows.
No credit card required.
How to Parse a PDF to Airtable With Docparser
To learn how to use Docparser to parse a PDF to Airtable, watch this short video tutorial:
Here is a quick recap of the steps to follow:
- Create a Parser
- Select a parsing template (we recommend using SmartAI Parser)
- Upload a PDF
- Review the parsing rules created by Smart AIParser. Edit them and add more if needed.
- Create a Zapier integration to connect Docparser and Airtable.
Note that you can also download your parsed data as a file (in formats like XLS or CSV) and import it into your Airtable base.
Use Cases of Extracting PDFs to Airtable
Being able to extract PDFs to Airtable has many practical applications that save you time and effort. Let’s briefly discuss common use cases that may match your needs.
Invoice parsing
Many companies use Airtable to process invoices, which happens to be one of the most popular use cases of Docparser.
Most vendors send invoices in PDF format, which costs too much time when processed manually. Plus, data entry errors can lead to missed deadlines, overpayments, and damaged relationships.
Using Docparser to parse invoices from PDF to Airtable makes processing smooth and painless. The extracted data (invoice number, date, vendor info, line items, total, etc.) is sent straight into the right Airtable fields, neatly organized and ready for review and approval. As a result, the accounts payable team maintains an organized database of all invoice activity, prevents mistakes, and pays vendors on time.
Client onboarding
If you run a legal, real estate, or any kind of service-based business, chances are you receive signed contracts or onboarding forms in PDF format. Before you can set up automated workflows in Airtable, first you need to add client information such as:
- Client details
- Project terms
- Preferred communication channels
- Renewal dates
- Etc.
Time is of the essence here. If clients are left waiting for the onboarding process to move forward, this creates a poor first impression.
PDF-to-Airtable parsing ensures that all client data flows directly into the right database fields as soon as the forms are received. Teams can instantly view complete client profiles, trigger welcome emails, and assign tasks based on the provided information. This speeds up onboarding, reduces the risk of missing important details, and helps deliver a smoother client experience from day one.
Customer orders & sales tracking
Sales teams frequently receive purchase orders, invoices, or sales reports in PDF format from clients, distributors, or partner platforms. Every document contains order details that must be entered into Airtable — a rather tedious process when handled manually.
The lack of real-time updates can also create gaps between what’s been sold, what’s been fulfilled, and what’s still pending, making it harder to forecast sales or track performance accurately.
Parsing PDFs directly into Airtable automates this process by extracting key order and sales data as soon as documents are received. The data is organized into Airtable bases that sales teams can filter by region, product, rep, or timeframe, ensuring full visibility across the sales pipeline. As a result, managers gain more reliable sales insights, teams can respond faster to customer needs, and the company has a single source of truth for tracking revenue growth.
Why Choose Docparser?
While Docparser is not the only tool you can use to extract data from PDFs, it does offer several advantages
Parse scanned documents and images with OCR
Docparser’s OCR engine makes it easy to extract text and tables from scanned documents or images. This means you’re not limited to digital PDFs: paper invoices, contracts, receipts, or forms that have been scanned or photographed can also be parsed.
Leverage AI capabilities
In 2024, we launched DocparserAI, our AI-powered parsing engine that opens up new possibilities for efficient, accurate, and versatile document parsing. As of 2025, we have added the following features:
- Automatic rule creation: our AI-powered templates can automatically create parsing rules, which you then review and refine if needed.
- AI resume parsing: easily extract key information from resumes to accelerate candidate screening.
- Handwriting recognition: if you have handwritten notes in your documents, you can extract them accurately thanks to this feature.
- Checkbox identification: our Smart Checkboxes feature can identify and extract checkbox selections from forms, PDFs, and other business documents.
- Content summarization: our latest feature allows you to generate concise summaries in paragraph or bullet list format from your documents.
Build end-to-end automated workflows
In addition to uploading and emailing your files, you can automatically fetch documents from your storage provider (Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.) or a REST API via an inbound integration.
As for outbound integrations, you can connect your Docparser account to Airtable via Zapier, Make, Workato, or similar platforms.
Thanks to Docparser’s integrations, you can build end-to-end workflows where important information flows seamlessly from incoming documents to your Bases. Once set up, your data lands in the right records and fields without errors.
Incidentally, you can also extract data from incoming documents to other cloud platforms or APIs: Google Sheets, Salesforce, Notion, etc.
FAQ
Docparser is a document parsing solution that makes it easy for businesses to extract data from documents and download it or export it to a cloud application or AP. Using Docparser allows you to save time through automated data capture, prevent errors, and streamline workflows.
Yes. In addition to the PDF format, you can parse documents in the following formats: DOC, DOCX, JPG, PNG, TIFF, XLS, CSV, TXT, and XML.
Yes, Docparser has a built-in OCR engine that can recognize text fields or tables in scanned documents and images and extract them accurately. Furthermore, Docparser can even recognize handwriting with precision.
Yes. Data security and privacy are core priorities for us. We use bank-level encryption, and our servers are regularly updated with the latest security patches. For more details, you can read our security statement and privacy policy.
Absolutely! You can sign up for a 14-day free trial and access all of Docparser’s core features.
Try Docparser Today
If you’re tired of trying to move data out of PDF files, your troubles end today. No more typing data by hand, fiddling with code, or paying an extra cost for AI credits.
Ready to parse PDFs to Airtable in a snap? Sign up for a free trial and unlock unprecedented efficiency — PDF files will no longer create bottlenecks in your workflows. Break the barriers of the PDF format and keep your Airtable databases organized and up-to-date.
Capture Key Data from Your Documents Easily
Use Docparser to automate data entry, save time, and streamline your document-based workflows.
No credit card required.
